Well I gave it a damn good go. A 7th place in the £8k last night helped me consolidate my position in 6th. I took a couple of shockers in the first two hours, but recovered with even a bit of luck on my side. AJ beating AK and KJ beating JJ when short stacked.
I was the short stack for most of the time I was on the final table. With blinds at 2k/4k, approaching 3k/6k my 30k was not going to last too long. I moved with AJ and was called by AT. The river paired the board for a second time. I needed that to have a real go.
By time I was first to act again with anything resembling a hand I was down to 18k and went out.
I am aware there is still one day left in the leaderboard tournament, but I have to rely on a friend to play tonights game (a very good player), as I have a leaving do for a good friend who has worked for me for a year. I know the chance for Monte Carlo is still there, but as great as Poker is, it cannot dictate your life!
As long as I don’t lose 6th place I will be happy. Although I will still take higher if it happens!
I have fallen just short of the important number 2 slot by a small margin. It has been really enjoyable event and added a real competitive edge to the site. I am pleased that the cryptologic skins are running it again for February and March. With the 3 recent additions (Betsafe, Parbet and Playboy), the site seems to be going from strength to strength.
On the flip side this event has been absolutely exhausting. I have played in all bar 6 of the qualifying tournaments (51/57) finishing most nights at between 1 and 3am and then getting up for work at 7am, not the most healthy situation.
I will report back a full review on the leaderboard with a full profit & loss situation tomorrow when I have access to all my statistics. At the end of the day being one of the top ten players on the site is a great achievement.
Tomorrow I will also publish my schedule for qualifying for live events over the next few weeks.
I have also written a new article entitled ‘How to win an online MTT tournament! This will be published in Littlewoods next Full House magazine. I will post it on here shortly.
ClintonO
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Monte Carlo or ...
BUST!
It was the night that was supposed to catapult me to the coveted 2nd place position in the monthly leaderboard, but it could not have gone more wrong!
First the basics I did manage 35 points for the night which should take me up to 6th place (worth $1k).
However it really is a case of what might have been.
Firstly the £12k. A nice comfortable start adding 50% to my starting stack in the first hour. 15 minutes later I get my first hand of the night. KK in the cut off. One UTG limper for 150, I raise it up to 600. Button calls, limper folds.
Flop is nine high. I bet half the pot leaving me 1500 chips back to which he calls. I put him on two overcards with a flush draw or a pocket pair. Pot is now worth 3200. I push the remainder of my chips in and am called with a set of 9s. Nicely played by him. Probably a bit risky with an under the gun limper to call 600, with a potential reraise behind him, but well played nonetheless. I then move whats left of my chips with AQ and lose to KJ.
The £8k.
Started this tournament really well. Doubled early with AQ against AJ on an AQ4 flop and moved in the top 5 with 8k in the first hour.
Then I am dealt A5 in the big blind, with 3 limpers I take a look at the flop. A53. Very nice.
Button bets ¾ of the pot, to which I call. Turn is a King, which is probably a good card for me. Button bets the pot, I decide to take the pot there and then and he calls the remainder of his 6.5k with AJ. Surprised he limped preflop, but happy that I am about to move into a nice lead in the tournament. River another king, my 2nd pair is now worthless and his Jack kicker plays. Sick – I believe the phrase is.
$4k.
Last chance saloon for the night, my aim is to make top 35 to move me up to 6th in the rankings as my two rivals had crashed out in all the tournaments.
I never build up a stack, but claw and fight my way through to that 35th place. I am sitting 34th of 35.
Having accomplished this, it was a matter of seeing how far I could go. I was raising 2 pots a round without any resistance. Suddenly my 3k stack was up at 18k.
I then got fortunate as my AJclubs beat AQ, with a flush and suddenly winning the tournament was a reality. I had stayed up until 2.30am so I might as well win the thing. A win would put me within 16 points of the Monte Carlo seat.
We are down to 11 players, I am in 2nd place. 5 players on the table, myself and the chip leader are taking down every pot.
I am dealt QQ under the gun, to which I make my standard 3x BB raise (7200 at this point). The Big Blind (shortest stack on the table) moves in for his final 20k. I decide to call and am up against A7, to join the chip leader in the 75k mark. However the river card decided to be an Ace and I am right back in the thick of things!
The very next hand I have AT clubs in the BB. The chip leader continued his approach of raising every hand where he was ahead of me to act. I moved all in. Unfortunately he had a hand QQ. The flop bought two clubs, giving me two chances to hit the 12 outs (plus the backdoor straight and running tens) but it was not to be. I crashed out in 11th.
$60 and 28 points for almost 4 hours work, plus a severe dent on my sleeping time.
So so disappointing when I could almost sense victory.
Last chance saloon tonight, to be honest holding onto 6th place (assuming no-one managed to overtake me from the final table last night) is my number aim and taking the $1k prize associated with it. The leaderboard has two days to run, but I can’t play on Thursday, so I want to sure up my position was a points scoring position in the £12k tonight.
I will also be playing the UKPT Walsall qualifier on blue square, where I am going to make it 3rd time lucky!
ClintonO
It was the night that was supposed to catapult me to the coveted 2nd place position in the monthly leaderboard, but it could not have gone more wrong!
First the basics I did manage 35 points for the night which should take me up to 6th place (worth $1k).
However it really is a case of what might have been.
Firstly the £12k. A nice comfortable start adding 50% to my starting stack in the first hour. 15 minutes later I get my first hand of the night. KK in the cut off. One UTG limper for 150, I raise it up to 600. Button calls, limper folds.
Flop is nine high. I bet half the pot leaving me 1500 chips back to which he calls. I put him on two overcards with a flush draw or a pocket pair. Pot is now worth 3200. I push the remainder of my chips in and am called with a set of 9s. Nicely played by him. Probably a bit risky with an under the gun limper to call 600, with a potential reraise behind him, but well played nonetheless. I then move whats left of my chips with AQ and lose to KJ.
The £8k.
Started this tournament really well. Doubled early with AQ against AJ on an AQ4 flop and moved in the top 5 with 8k in the first hour.
Then I am dealt A5 in the big blind, with 3 limpers I take a look at the flop. A53. Very nice.
Button bets ¾ of the pot, to which I call. Turn is a King, which is probably a good card for me. Button bets the pot, I decide to take the pot there and then and he calls the remainder of his 6.5k with AJ. Surprised he limped preflop, but happy that I am about to move into a nice lead in the tournament. River another king, my 2nd pair is now worthless and his Jack kicker plays. Sick – I believe the phrase is.
$4k.
Last chance saloon for the night, my aim is to make top 35 to move me up to 6th in the rankings as my two rivals had crashed out in all the tournaments.
I never build up a stack, but claw and fight my way through to that 35th place. I am sitting 34th of 35.
Having accomplished this, it was a matter of seeing how far I could go. I was raising 2 pots a round without any resistance. Suddenly my 3k stack was up at 18k.
I then got fortunate as my AJclubs beat AQ, with a flush and suddenly winning the tournament was a reality. I had stayed up until 2.30am so I might as well win the thing. A win would put me within 16 points of the Monte Carlo seat.
We are down to 11 players, I am in 2nd place. 5 players on the table, myself and the chip leader are taking down every pot.
I am dealt QQ under the gun, to which I make my standard 3x BB raise (7200 at this point). The Big Blind (shortest stack on the table) moves in for his final 20k. I decide to call and am up against A7, to join the chip leader in the 75k mark. However the river card decided to be an Ace and I am right back in the thick of things!
The very next hand I have AT clubs in the BB. The chip leader continued his approach of raising every hand where he was ahead of me to act. I moved all in. Unfortunately he had a hand QQ. The flop bought two clubs, giving me two chances to hit the 12 outs (plus the backdoor straight and running tens) but it was not to be. I crashed out in 11th.
$60 and 28 points for almost 4 hours work, plus a severe dent on my sleeping time.
So so disappointing when I could almost sense victory.
Last chance saloon tonight, to be honest holding onto 6th place (assuming no-one managed to overtake me from the final table last night) is my number aim and taking the $1k prize associated with it. The leaderboard has two days to run, but I can’t play on Thursday, so I want to sure up my position was a points scoring position in the £12k tonight.
I will also be playing the UKPT Walsall qualifier on blue square, where I am going to make it 3rd time lucky!
ClintonO
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
8th place and 3 days left
Two decent performances in the 8k and 4k last night earnt me some more points (39 for the night) and right in the thick of it.
I am realistically competiting for 6th place, with only 9 points seperating Threeaces, Straggler and myself. I am on 807 points. Those in 2nd through 5th all have over a thousand points so it will have to be a top 4 finish tonight in the £12k if I want to earn a Monte Carlo seat through this competition.
6th is worth $1k and compared to the $400 for 8th so that would be nice. However one big result would do it!
Straggler who is in 7th place has gone out early tonight, so a top 36 place would see me overtake him.
I also played the EPT qualifier last night and won a seat in saturdays E270 final for a seat at Monte Carlo.
Well done to Desh for moving into 2nd place in the leaderboard, Jamie (FISHMAC) for winning last nights $3k and also to Eyesight who has been having a great week.
Lets hope its a big night Tuesday once again.
ClintonO
I am realistically competiting for 6th place, with only 9 points seperating Threeaces, Straggler and myself. I am on 807 points. Those in 2nd through 5th all have over a thousand points so it will have to be a top 4 finish tonight in the £12k if I want to earn a Monte Carlo seat through this competition.
6th is worth $1k and compared to the $400 for 8th so that would be nice. However one big result would do it!
Straggler who is in 7th place has gone out early tonight, so a top 36 place would see me overtake him.
I also played the EPT qualifier last night and won a seat in saturdays E270 final for a seat at Monte Carlo.
Well done to Desh for moving into 2nd place in the leaderboard, Jamie (FISHMAC) for winning last nights $3k and also to Eyesight who has been having a great week.
Lets hope its a big night Tuesday once again.
ClintonO
Monday, January 22, 2007
Into the Home Straight.
The leaderboard competition has just 4 days to run and I am currently sitting in 8th place. A Top 3 performance in the £12k this week though, should be enough to secure that so important 2nd place.
I gained some much needed points on Saturday night when reaching the final table of the £8k, by finishing sixth and winning £400.
All in all it is reaching a very interesting climax.
My good friend Desh under one of his 27 alias’ (DESHONDTD) has thrown himself into contention by moving into 3rd which adds a little more spice to the contest.
Last night was a profitable night, although as usual could have been better! I managed a 21st place in the main weekly tournament on Littlewoods – the £40k, which added a little over £300 to the bankroll.
I also played in the Prima network $150k GTD on a platform called Crazy Poker, where I had previously played one freeroll game a year or so ago.
There were 1356 players in this event and five hours on, my pair of eights got busted by a straight on the river to prevent me going into 3rd place and left me crippled going out in 34th. I earned $540 for my troubles, a decent return, but less than the $35k first prize I was eyeing up!
This week my main aim will still be the Leaderboard tournament, although I am going to have one more going at winning this UKPT seat for Walsall.
ClintonO
I gained some much needed points on Saturday night when reaching the final table of the £8k, by finishing sixth and winning £400.
All in all it is reaching a very interesting climax.
My good friend Desh under one of his 27 alias’ (DESHONDTD) has thrown himself into contention by moving into 3rd which adds a little more spice to the contest.
Last night was a profitable night, although as usual could have been better! I managed a 21st place in the main weekly tournament on Littlewoods – the £40k, which added a little over £300 to the bankroll.
I also played in the Prima network $150k GTD on a platform called Crazy Poker, where I had previously played one freeroll game a year or so ago.
There were 1356 players in this event and five hours on, my pair of eights got busted by a straight on the river to prevent me going into 3rd place and left me crippled going out in 34th. I earned $540 for my troubles, a decent return, but less than the $35k first prize I was eyeing up!
This week my main aim will still be the Leaderboard tournament, although I am going to have one more going at winning this UKPT seat for Walsall.
ClintonO
Saturday, January 20, 2007
You know its not your night when (part 3).....
You bubble for a seat in a major tournament for the second time in 3 days!
Once again QQ did me in as I move in with AJ.
I will win this seat - 3rd time lucky I am sure.
Things are not going well for me at the moment, I am getting my chips in with the best hand and they are simply not holding. I have lost 5 consecutive AK to AQ all preflop!
The leaderboard despite a cash in the £12k last night has continued on the downward trend. I am now sitting in 8th place. The good news remains that a top 3 in the £12k and I am back in the Monte Carlo seat.
There are still 6 days to go, so it is definitely still possible.
The Bad Beat tournament on Thursday was a poor week for the defending champions. I added some more points to our total, but without our star performer Jamie (FISHMAC) we would be in all sorts of trouble.
ClintonO
Once again QQ did me in as I move in with AJ.
I will win this seat - 3rd time lucky I am sure.
Things are not going well for me at the moment, I am getting my chips in with the best hand and they are simply not holding. I have lost 5 consecutive AK to AQ all preflop!
The leaderboard despite a cash in the £12k last night has continued on the downward trend. I am now sitting in 8th place. The good news remains that a top 3 in the £12k and I am back in the Monte Carlo seat.
There are still 6 days to go, so it is definitely still possible.
The Bad Beat tournament on Thursday was a poor week for the defending champions. I added some more points to our total, but without our star performer Jamie (FISHMAC) we would be in all sorts of trouble.
ClintonO
Thursday, January 18, 2007
You know its not your night when (part 2) ......
There are seven seats available to major live tournament and you crash out in 8th.
I was playing a tournament for seats at the UKPT at Walsall next month, I had played well all night, disciplined but aggressive poker. I had even folded QQ to all in reraise on the bubble.
Blinds were up at 2,000/4,000 and there was 3 of us on the 20,000 mark. I then pick up pocket sevens and decide the blinds are needed to keep me ahead. The big blind has QQ and I am out. So so annoyed! I did not need to play that hand. Grrrr!
There was some positive news as we had agreed a bubble deal, whereby the person in 8th got £350, however I found no solace in this.
The leaderboard competition is slipping away from me, with no successes last night.
A big big night is needed tonight.
The pressure is now officially on.
ClintonO
I was playing a tournament for seats at the UKPT at Walsall next month, I had played well all night, disciplined but aggressive poker. I had even folded QQ to all in reraise on the bubble.
Blinds were up at 2,000/4,000 and there was 3 of us on the 20,000 mark. I then pick up pocket sevens and decide the blinds are needed to keep me ahead. The big blind has QQ and I am out. So so annoyed! I did not need to play that hand. Grrrr!
There was some positive news as we had agreed a bubble deal, whereby the person in 8th got £350, however I found no solace in this.
The leaderboard competition is slipping away from me, with no successes last night.
A big big night is needed tonight.
The pressure is now officially on.
ClintonO
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
You know its not your night when.....
You are winning a MTT comfortably with 3 players left and your computer crashes and fails to reboot!
Yes its true in the $3k (prize pool $4.7k) tournament tonight, just about to wield the axe with AQ against the remaining short stacks and the computer just stops.
My 62k in chips disappear as I try to log back on.
Operating system not found.....
Oh my god, thats my computer knackered.
Somehow it eventually comes back on, (a lot of pleading with the computer gods!) the other two have been sharing my chips between them, how amicable of them!
19k left. I pick up Ak, perhaps there is justice - All in - called by KQ. There is no justice.
$564 instead of $1410. That my friends is damn sick.
I reached another final table in the £1.5k tonight, but crashed early when I ran into AA with my 99 on a 8 high flop.
In the leaderboard tournaments, I comfortably played my worst 3 games in forever. Although KK losing to K9 for 90% of my chips in the 8k did not help.
I am actually just relieved my computer is still working, I feared my hard drive was gone for a second.
Quick everything on the D:Drive!
To lose $900 because of a computer and then £2k to replace would have been too much to take.
2 Final tables is not bad for a nights work, but I still feel robbed of my 3 title of the year.
Amazingly relieved rather than tearing my hair out!
ClintonO
Yes its true in the $3k (prize pool $4.7k) tournament tonight, just about to wield the axe with AQ against the remaining short stacks and the computer just stops.
My 62k in chips disappear as I try to log back on.
Operating system not found.....
Oh my god, thats my computer knackered.
Somehow it eventually comes back on, (a lot of pleading with the computer gods!) the other two have been sharing my chips between them, how amicable of them!
19k left. I pick up Ak, perhaps there is justice - All in - called by KQ. There is no justice.
$564 instead of $1410. That my friends is damn sick.
I reached another final table in the £1.5k tonight, but crashed early when I ran into AA with my 99 on a 8 high flop.
In the leaderboard tournaments, I comfortably played my worst 3 games in forever. Although KK losing to K9 for 90% of my chips in the 8k did not help.
I am actually just relieved my computer is still working, I feared my hard drive was gone for a second.
Quick everything on the D:Drive!
To lose $900 because of a computer and then £2k to replace would have been too much to take.
2 Final tables is not bad for a nights work, but I still feel robbed of my 3 title of the year.
Amazingly relieved rather than tearing my hair out!
ClintonO
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Leaderboard Reaches Halfway
10 days of the 20 gone and I have slipped to 6th place. Just the one small cash in the last 3 days has now left me with work to.
Unfortunately the 2nd place spot looks firmly on the way to Filleter, who when I went to bed last night was comfortably winning the £8k.
I am now 300pts behing 2nd place, which is a top 3 finish in the £12k.
I believe I need another 500pts to take 2nd place and my quest starts tonight. Although I am incredibly tired at the moment and feel I will probably get better towards the end of the week. Anything more than the 9pts you get for just playing will be a bonus tonight!
1) logitech 1093.25
2) Filleter 914.6
3) Straggler 665.45
4) Threeaces 660.45
5) Costy 622.75
6) ClintonO 608.77
The prize money for 6th slips to $1k from $1.8k for 5th and falls to $200 for 10th! I really need to sort this out. (Starting with the £8k tonight - I have just crashed from the £12k - where I played officially rubbish!) As much as I hate to say it, maybe an early night is on the cards!
Fingers crossed for a great week!
ClintonO
Unfortunately the 2nd place spot looks firmly on the way to Filleter, who when I went to bed last night was comfortably winning the £8k.
I am now 300pts behing 2nd place, which is a top 3 finish in the £12k.
I believe I need another 500pts to take 2nd place and my quest starts tonight. Although I am incredibly tired at the moment and feel I will probably get better towards the end of the week. Anything more than the 9pts you get for just playing will be a bonus tonight!
1) logitech 1093.25
2) Filleter 914.6
3) Straggler 665.45
4) Threeaces 660.45
5) Costy 622.75
6) ClintonO 608.77
The prize money for 6th slips to $1k from $1.8k for 5th and falls to $200 for 10th! I really need to sort this out. (Starting with the £8k tonight - I have just crashed from the £12k - where I played officially rubbish!) As much as I hate to say it, maybe an early night is on the cards!
Fingers crossed for a great week!
ClintonO
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Monte Carlo Leaderboard Hotting Up
After 7 days of 20 in the Mid Month Leaderboard running on Littlewoods, I am currently sitting in 5th place.
5th place is worth $1,800 after 20 days, but I have my sights firmly on the first two places which are Monte Carlo packages.
The Top 5 is currently
logitech 1000.6pts
Filleter 637.0pts
Threeaces 625.95pts
Straggler 581.7pts
ClintonO 573.47pts.
logitech have got themselves into a very nice position, but the second spot is definitely within reach.
4 cashes in the last 3 days has moved me right into contention, with a 4th place in the £12k on Wednesday and a 3rd place in the £8k on Thursday.
I have so far invested £489 into the competition, with a return of £1987.25 (Profit £1,498.25)
So far so good, but its time to step it up to the top two places!
We have also had week 1 of the Dream Team II competition with Bad Beat. This was not a great start and we are languishing in the bottom half of the table. Jamie (FISHMAC) was our best performer earning 600pts with his 30th place. I added 400pts and Martin (5okinred) 80pts more.
In the Poker in Goa competition also on Bad Beat, I had a respectable 5th place this week, which leaves me in 6th place overall with two weeks to go.
My focus remains very much on Monte Carlo, which is somewhere I really want to go.
I also had a small article about me on the Betrescue site this week.
http://209.85.135.104/search?q=cache:IVExV_ZDYEcJ:www.betrescue.com/ps.shtml+clinton+orchard+poker&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=5
More points tonight please!
ClintonO
5th place is worth $1,800 after 20 days, but I have my sights firmly on the first two places which are Monte Carlo packages.
The Top 5 is currently
logitech 1000.6pts
Filleter 637.0pts
Threeaces 625.95pts
Straggler 581.7pts
ClintonO 573.47pts.
logitech have got themselves into a very nice position, but the second spot is definitely within reach.
4 cashes in the last 3 days has moved me right into contention, with a 4th place in the £12k on Wednesday and a 3rd place in the £8k on Thursday.
I have so far invested £489 into the competition, with a return of £1987.25 (Profit £1,498.25)
So far so good, but its time to step it up to the top two places!
We have also had week 1 of the Dream Team II competition with Bad Beat. This was not a great start and we are languishing in the bottom half of the table. Jamie (FISHMAC) was our best performer earning 600pts with his 30th place. I added 400pts and Martin (5okinred) 80pts more.
In the Poker in Goa competition also on Bad Beat, I had a respectable 5th place this week, which leaves me in 6th place overall with two weeks to go.
My focus remains very much on Monte Carlo, which is somewhere I really want to go.
I also had a small article about me on the Betrescue site this week.
http://209.85.135.104/search?q=cache:IVExV_ZDYEcJ:www.betrescue.com/ps.shtml+clinton+orchard+poker&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=5
More points tonight please!
ClintonO
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
EPT Deauville Cancelled
Terrible news today as we hear than the EPT event in Deauville has been cancelled. This was to be my EPT debut, which will now have to wait.
Possible options are Dortmund or Warsaw. A further option is to stump up the additional E5k and go to Monte Carlo, but the price is a bit steep for me, so it will have to be one of the other two. My preference is for Dortmund at this time.
With event being cancelled, I will try my luck at the UKPT event in Walsall the week before. (15th - 18th Feb)
On the Leadeboard front things improved a little with two top 30 finishes in the 12k and the 4k, but there is still much more work to be done as I languished down the field in 61st.
I made another final table on Sunday night, getting a 5th place finish in the £1.5k, running into AA in the big blind with AK in the small. This at least takes my final table tally up to four in the first week of the year.
I had a comment yesterday about my STT form and the comment was right, my STT record is not good enough. I know exactly why because I do not treat them with the same respect as a MTT and therefore my preparation is wrong.
I played one last night with the right attitude and won in comfortably. If I am going to play these they have to be serious from now on. My record at £50/£60 STTs are good because I treat them right.
From now on its only when I have the proper time to play them.
ClintonO
Possible options are Dortmund or Warsaw. A further option is to stump up the additional E5k and go to Monte Carlo, but the price is a bit steep for me, so it will have to be one of the other two. My preference is for Dortmund at this time.
With event being cancelled, I will try my luck at the UKPT event in Walsall the week before. (15th - 18th Feb)
On the Leadeboard front things improved a little with two top 30 finishes in the 12k and the 4k, but there is still much more work to be done as I languished down the field in 61st.
I made another final table on Sunday night, getting a 5th place finish in the £1.5k, running into AA in the big blind with AK in the small. This at least takes my final table tally up to four in the first week of the year.
I had a comment yesterday about my STT form and the comment was right, my STT record is not good enough. I know exactly why because I do not treat them with the same respect as a MTT and therefore my preparation is wrong.
I played one last night with the right attitude and won in comfortably. If I am going to play these they have to be serious from now on. My record at £50/£60 STTs are good because I treat them right.
From now on its only when I have the proper time to play them.
ClintonO
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Another Title
January has definitely started in a positive manner, as I made my 2nd win of the year, plus I also managed a 3rd place in another. Making it 3 final tables for the year and 2 wins.
The win came in the $3k GTD which had 174 runners and $1044 for first place. My 3rd place in the other tournament also generated $534 in winnings. Well done to Lynchem who won thoroughly deserved his win in that tournament.
Unfortunately my Mid Month Leaderboard competition started in disastrous fashion. When going nicely my all in reraise with AQ was called by AT. Flop TT5. Ouch. The guy that knocked me out with that mny75 only lasted 16 places longer!
So I have 9 points from day 1. A lot of catching up to do. The competition does run until the 25th so time is on my side.
Leaderboard investement £53 Returns £0. Points 9. Position - Well off the pace!
MTTs are really my game at the moment and I am going to stick to them until I can build a bankroll that will allow me to try my luck at the STT and Cash world of poker.
I did manage one win at a STT earlier though to qualify for the £12k.
Thanks to Joe (The Deacons) note earlier. Don't you worry that I am going to go off around the world and throw everything away. Every win so far has been invested back into property (ie the house) and I am not thinking of only playing poker full time, just want it to be a bigger part of my life.
I am not foolish enough to think that I am a world beater and it is the answer to everything, however I do have a bit of skill for this game and want to maximise my return on my investment.
I am pleased to already have 2 tournament wins under my belt after 6 days this year.
I am hoping my target for 2007 of 10 is well beaten!
ClintonO
Friday, January 05, 2007
Sunday Mail Article
Evening everybody.
Its been a promising start to the year and I am really enjoying playing at the moment.
I do feel another big win is not too far away.
The poker world continues to get bigger and better and the EPT has suddenly got two new tournamnents in this seasons tour. We now have EPT Dortmund and EPT Warsaw. Obviously no chance for me to play in them this year, but lets pencil them in for the future!
I am pleased to see Littlewoods is running another Leaderboard tournmanent, this time with the top two winning seats for the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo. This is up there as my priority tournament, so I am going to give this challenge everything, even if I am a walking zombie for the next 3 weeks!
I also had an email today from Littlewoods regarding an article in the new years eve edition of the Sunday mail.
Check it out for yourselves!
http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/sport/unpdate/tm_method=full%26objectid=18356160%26siteid=64736-name_page.html
I love the fact I won the £12k the day after this was out!
Anyway I am settling down for a nights play after another exhausting week at work.
Good Luck to everyone I play.
ClintonO
Its been a promising start to the year and I am really enjoying playing at the moment.
I do feel another big win is not too far away.
The poker world continues to get bigger and better and the EPT has suddenly got two new tournamnents in this seasons tour. We now have EPT Dortmund and EPT Warsaw. Obviously no chance for me to play in them this year, but lets pencil them in for the future!
I am pleased to see Littlewoods is running another Leaderboard tournmanent, this time with the top two winning seats for the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo. This is up there as my priority tournament, so I am going to give this challenge everything, even if I am a walking zombie for the next 3 weeks!
I also had an email today from Littlewoods regarding an article in the new years eve edition of the Sunday mail.
Check it out for yourselves!
http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/sport/unpdate/tm_method=full%26objectid=18356160%26siteid=64736-name_page.html
I love the fact I won the £12k the day after this was out!
Anyway I am settling down for a nights play after another exhausting week at work.
Good Luck to everyone I play.
ClintonO
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
WPT Mag
Well its taken a while, but thanks to my good friend Kai, I can now operate my scanner!
So as promised here is the article featuring the first WPT Rookie of the month.
Cheers
ClintonO
Nothing for two weeks - Now two in a Day!
Well its about time I let you know my objectives for the year. At this point, I am still undecided about my career, do I make poker a more prominent part (degree, MBA, 13 years in the FMCG world – most at a senior level – believe me it’s a difficult decision to make, especially for a Cancerian (we don’t do change))
This years objectives revolve around live poker, something I do very infrequently and at the moment am no good at! Well I bubbled in the $500 at St.Kitts in 2005, so there is a bit of potential, but so far no good!
At the moment if you look me up on the internet on poker pages or the Hendon mob web sites, you will see no record of me, how is that possible I hear you ask!? (lol!) Well I have never cashed in a big live tournament.
Now I could happily stay online and continue to make great strides, but I can not refuse a challenge. This year I want to set myself up for the 2008 live scene.
I am very excited by the Grosvenor and Gala (separate) poker tours and want to take part in them. To play the complete tour I will have to wait until 2008, so my aim is to get established enough that I can do this.
I will play in as many significant events as I can and will try to qualify for as many of those as possible.
This year I would like to take part in at least one EPT, UKPT, GBPT, APAT and WSOP event!
Objective 1) – Cash in a major live event.
My first realistic target is the EPT in Deauville (France) in February. My first EPT event and my first significant tournament in Europe.
It is vital for my poker future that I am able to switch my success from online to live poker and also vital that I do not put myself under excess pressure to do so with silly statements like I just made!
As soon as I know exactly what I am doing with my career, I can see how many live events I can try to qualify for. Needless to say any success achieved in Deauville will greatly enhance my prospects of playing more.
So what about online, I have won every tournament on the Littlewoods site except one, the Sunday night £40k, in fact I am still to make the final table.
Objective 2i) – Make the final table of the £40k
Objective 2ii) – Win the Sunday £40k
I am hoping that this will not continue to elude me!
It is vital for me to keep improving and learning at this game, as the influx of new people continue and they continue to get better. So what can I set myself as objectives, well I have to improve at each area and that includes MTT, STT and Cash games, therefore I need objectives in each.
Objective 3 MTTS) - To win 10 online tournaments in 2007
To Final Table in 40 online tournaments
To cash in 20% of all tournaments played
To achieve a profit of £40k
Objective 3 STTS) - To achieve a sharkscope profit of £5k
To move my sharkscope ROI to 5%
To move my £20 & £30 sharkscope ROI into positive territory
Objective 3 Cash) - To achieve a profit of £5k
To make a profit of 500 big blinds at each level I play
.15/.25 - £125
.25/.5 - £250
.5/1 - £500
1/2 - £1000
2/5 - £2500
Objective 4 Qualifiers) – These are vital for my plans in 2007, I must play in more live events.
This list will be a ridiculously tough target to achieve and I will have to play occasionally on unfamiliar sites to achieve it however these are my aims.
Feb – EPT Deauville
Mar – Asian Poker Classic *
Mar/Apr - Monte Carlo Millions
Apr - Paddy Power Irish Open *
May - GBPT Nottingham
Jul - WSOP
Aug - UKPT Luton
Sep - EPT Barcelona
Nov - CPC (or equiv)
Jan - Aussie Millons
The two that are have asterisk may not be achievable purely through work reasons.
Objective 5) Defend our Bad Beat dream Team title.
Quite simply I am captain and therefore it is my responsibility to ensure success for the team and defend the title we won last year.
Winning is the only measurement here.
These objectives will be added to throughout the course of the year, but for now they are plenty.
My next objective is to find a flat screen HDTV to spend my winnings from last night on.
Take care
ClintonO
This years objectives revolve around live poker, something I do very infrequently and at the moment am no good at! Well I bubbled in the $500 at St.Kitts in 2005, so there is a bit of potential, but so far no good!
At the moment if you look me up on the internet on poker pages or the Hendon mob web sites, you will see no record of me, how is that possible I hear you ask!? (lol!) Well I have never cashed in a big live tournament.
Now I could happily stay online and continue to make great strides, but I can not refuse a challenge. This year I want to set myself up for the 2008 live scene.
I am very excited by the Grosvenor and Gala (separate) poker tours and want to take part in them. To play the complete tour I will have to wait until 2008, so my aim is to get established enough that I can do this.
I will play in as many significant events as I can and will try to qualify for as many of those as possible.
This year I would like to take part in at least one EPT, UKPT, GBPT, APAT and WSOP event!
Objective 1) – Cash in a major live event.
My first realistic target is the EPT in Deauville (France) in February. My first EPT event and my first significant tournament in Europe.
It is vital for my poker future that I am able to switch my success from online to live poker and also vital that I do not put myself under excess pressure to do so with silly statements like I just made!
As soon as I know exactly what I am doing with my career, I can see how many live events I can try to qualify for. Needless to say any success achieved in Deauville will greatly enhance my prospects of playing more.
So what about online, I have won every tournament on the Littlewoods site except one, the Sunday night £40k, in fact I am still to make the final table.
Objective 2i) – Make the final table of the £40k
Objective 2ii) – Win the Sunday £40k
I am hoping that this will not continue to elude me!
It is vital for me to keep improving and learning at this game, as the influx of new people continue and they continue to get better. So what can I set myself as objectives, well I have to improve at each area and that includes MTT, STT and Cash games, therefore I need objectives in each.
Objective 3 MTTS) - To win 10 online tournaments in 2007
To Final Table in 40 online tournaments
To cash in 20% of all tournaments played
To achieve a profit of £40k
Objective 3 STTS) - To achieve a sharkscope profit of £5k
To move my sharkscope ROI to 5%
To move my £20 & £30 sharkscope ROI into positive territory
Objective 3 Cash) - To achieve a profit of £5k
To make a profit of 500 big blinds at each level I play
.15/.25 - £125
.25/.5 - £250
.5/1 - £500
1/2 - £1000
2/5 - £2500
Objective 4 Qualifiers) – These are vital for my plans in 2007, I must play in more live events.
This list will be a ridiculously tough target to achieve and I will have to play occasionally on unfamiliar sites to achieve it however these are my aims.
Feb – EPT Deauville
Mar – Asian Poker Classic *
Mar/Apr - Monte Carlo Millions
Apr - Paddy Power Irish Open *
May - GBPT Nottingham
Jul - WSOP
Aug - UKPT Luton
Sep - EPT Barcelona
Nov - CPC (or equiv)
Jan - Aussie Millons
The two that are have asterisk may not be achievable purely through work reasons.
Objective 5) Defend our Bad Beat dream Team title.
Quite simply I am captain and therefore it is my responsibility to ensure success for the team and defend the title we won last year.
Winning is the only measurement here.
These objectives will be added to throughout the course of the year, but for now they are plenty.
My next objective is to find a flat screen HDTV to spend my winnings from last night on.
Take care
ClintonO
Happy New Year to All
Firstly, a happy new year to one all. I wish you all the very best for 2007. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and as always please feel free to add your comments and share your views.
Its 2007 and this is now my 3rd year playing poker, ok so its only really just over 18 months but it sounds like I am more experienced!
2006 was a massive year for me on the poker front and something that is still very much a hobby, I can only see becoming a bigger part of my life.
Looking back at last year, there are so many highlights. On a personal note and for the benefit of my game, there was nothing better than meeting and getting to know some of the finest players I share the online felt with. Being able to talk, listen and learn from the likes of 007apr, ThierryH and Sun_Deshi has added so much to my game and to them I am very thankful.
I have got to know some wonderful people through this game, I managed to meet up with many in St.Kitts, but hope to meet up with the rest of you at an event soon.
My 2nd highlight was watching my wife discover the game that I love and then do something that I have not yet managed to do and that is cash in numerous events. Both in Vegas and St.Kitts she kept the kitty money topped up! Whilst I am sure she will never get a taste for online play, it is great to have someone who generally wants to get involved and enjoys the game.
So what else, my 2nd World Series was a short lived but amazing experience, I so love Las Vegas so! St.Kitts the 2nd time around was brilliant, meeting so many great people.
Winning my CPC and my EPT seats on the same day was special. As was my other two CPC seats and winning the Bad Beat Tournament for the Singapore Poker Classic. Appearing on the radio and in many newspapers, my features in the Littlewoods Full House magazine and my article in the WPT magazine (Their first ever Rookie of the Month!) Not to mention the £25k that has come my way! All in all, a simply life changing year.
However now is not the time to look back and relax, far from it, it is now that I must look forward and decide how much of my life this game will become.
I have been seriously tempted during the latter part of 2006 into doing more within the industry, but now more than ever I am coming up to some big decisions.
December was a very quiet poker month for me. I missed the start due to being in St.Kitts and with my family and work commitments, I kept my poker play down to the lowest level of the year. In fact there were more days where I did not play that when I did.
At one point before Christmas I honestly believed I had forgotten how to play the game and as a direct result of not playing my confidence was starting to dwindle.
Christmas with my family was perfect apart from the lack of time to play, plus no wireless or even broadband at the inlaws was never going to make it easy.
So with no poker to play, I found some time to read, I have a vast library of poker books to which I yet again added to and found one in particular a real inspiration. This was Phil Gordons little blue book.
Now I had read his first book ‘Little Green Book’ and it just seemed to demonstrate that Phil hit a hell of a lot of sets and I found myself thinking this is not realistic and was quite dismissive of the book, he also seemed to be overly loose and aggressive and as much as I want to develop my game, I am simply not going to play this way.
That said there was enough in the book to keep me interested in reading his ‘Little Blue Book’.
At one page in the book it simply dawned on me that he actually played an incredibly similar game to me, it was not about playing any two cards, his game was about gears, changing both up and down. This is how I have been successful at this game. At this point my confidence shot up without even playing a game.
For those of you who like me find Dan Harringtons books to be their poker bibles, then let me please recommend Phil Gordons Little Blue Book as something you should add to your collection, it now has pride of place next to Action Dan on my shelf.
Last year I had a great start to the year, I had won the £15k at the end of Dec (27th) and then the following Tuesday won the £15k again – Jan 3rd, after my first day at my new job.
Well last night I decided to make my first game of the year the £12k. 244 runners, 1st Place and £3416 in prize money. The absolute perfect start to the year.
The trick – Confidence, controlled aggression and changing gears.
I started with 2000 chips and I was up to 6000 chips by the first break. I managed to double up in level 3 when my pocket Aces turned into quads and I got called all the way down to the river by 2nd pair. Thank you!
I took my big risk after 2 hours, I had 9k in chips and pocket queens for the 3rd time. (I had previously folded them twice, once to reraises (KK and AQ) and once when AK hit the flop)
We had a limper under the gun, who I knew was going to reraise, I put him on AK as soon as he did it. He pushed all in as soon as I raised with my Queens, which convinced me it was AK, my queens held up and I was just short of 20k and into the top ten.
I had two more coin flips before the final table, none of them tournament threatening (around half my stack). I lost one and won one.
At the final table it was all very close and I was sitting in 8th with 35k, there was no runaway leader and two short stacks (16-19k). I arrived on the big blind, but my disappointment was short lived when QQ arrived also and knocked out one of the short stacks. I actually ended up knocking out 7 of the final table!
My chip count fluctuated a little, I called an all in button raise from the other short stack with A7 and lost to J5, but then doubled up with KK versus 66 against the guy who eventually finished 2nd.
It was a tight scrappy final table, with everyone so closely stacked in chips. The game itself was getting on for 5 hours. The last 6 however was under 10 mins!
I limped in the Small Blind with AJ hoping the BB to raise, he duly obliged with T8 and was out 5th when my Ace hit the flop. From this point I just built a stack and used it effectively, raising at any sign of weakness.
The heads up saw me in front with a big lead 360k to 130k and it lasted just three hands. I took the first two with raises. I was then dealt 67 clubs. He just called from the small blind, I am more than happy to see what the flop is. Tc Kh 8c. A Great Flop! Flush and inside straight draws. 13 outs if he has anything. I checked and was happy to check raise, but he also checked. The turn was a 9h. I have my straight, okay it’s the dumb end, but I am certain he would have raised with QJ preflop.
I check for the third time, surely inviting a bet. He bets 8k into the 18k pot, I raise to 24k, he is immediately all in. I have the straight, nine outs to a flush if somehow he does have QJ, but I cant see it. He most probably has two pair T8, T9 or 98. A king he surely would have raised preflop, unless he is slowplaying a monster.
I call and he has KK, he was dealt and flopped a monster and was slowplaying. The river was a deuce and the title was mine. To be honest after the flop came down, I was never getting away from this hand and only a big raise preflop would have got rid of me here.
So a fantastic start to the year, by the time I make it to bed at 2.30am, I have just won £3,400 and yet I am getting up for work in less than five hours. Why oh Why! It’s definitely time to sort my life out!
I will write again soon!
ClintonO
Its 2007 and this is now my 3rd year playing poker, ok so its only really just over 18 months but it sounds like I am more experienced!
2006 was a massive year for me on the poker front and something that is still very much a hobby, I can only see becoming a bigger part of my life.
Looking back at last year, there are so many highlights. On a personal note and for the benefit of my game, there was nothing better than meeting and getting to know some of the finest players I share the online felt with. Being able to talk, listen and learn from the likes of 007apr, ThierryH and Sun_Deshi has added so much to my game and to them I am very thankful.
I have got to know some wonderful people through this game, I managed to meet up with many in St.Kitts, but hope to meet up with the rest of you at an event soon.
My 2nd highlight was watching my wife discover the game that I love and then do something that I have not yet managed to do and that is cash in numerous events. Both in Vegas and St.Kitts she kept the kitty money topped up! Whilst I am sure she will never get a taste for online play, it is great to have someone who generally wants to get involved and enjoys the game.
So what else, my 2nd World Series was a short lived but amazing experience, I so love Las Vegas so! St.Kitts the 2nd time around was brilliant, meeting so many great people.
Winning my CPC and my EPT seats on the same day was special. As was my other two CPC seats and winning the Bad Beat Tournament for the Singapore Poker Classic. Appearing on the radio and in many newspapers, my features in the Littlewoods Full House magazine and my article in the WPT magazine (Their first ever Rookie of the Month!) Not to mention the £25k that has come my way! All in all, a simply life changing year.
However now is not the time to look back and relax, far from it, it is now that I must look forward and decide how much of my life this game will become.
I have been seriously tempted during the latter part of 2006 into doing more within the industry, but now more than ever I am coming up to some big decisions.
December was a very quiet poker month for me. I missed the start due to being in St.Kitts and with my family and work commitments, I kept my poker play down to the lowest level of the year. In fact there were more days where I did not play that when I did.
At one point before Christmas I honestly believed I had forgotten how to play the game and as a direct result of not playing my confidence was starting to dwindle.
Christmas with my family was perfect apart from the lack of time to play, plus no wireless or even broadband at the inlaws was never going to make it easy.
So with no poker to play, I found some time to read, I have a vast library of poker books to which I yet again added to and found one in particular a real inspiration. This was Phil Gordons little blue book.
Now I had read his first book ‘Little Green Book’ and it just seemed to demonstrate that Phil hit a hell of a lot of sets and I found myself thinking this is not realistic and was quite dismissive of the book, he also seemed to be overly loose and aggressive and as much as I want to develop my game, I am simply not going to play this way.
That said there was enough in the book to keep me interested in reading his ‘Little Blue Book’.
At one page in the book it simply dawned on me that he actually played an incredibly similar game to me, it was not about playing any two cards, his game was about gears, changing both up and down. This is how I have been successful at this game. At this point my confidence shot up without even playing a game.
For those of you who like me find Dan Harringtons books to be their poker bibles, then let me please recommend Phil Gordons Little Blue Book as something you should add to your collection, it now has pride of place next to Action Dan on my shelf.
Last year I had a great start to the year, I had won the £15k at the end of Dec (27th) and then the following Tuesday won the £15k again – Jan 3rd, after my first day at my new job.
Well last night I decided to make my first game of the year the £12k. 244 runners, 1st Place and £3416 in prize money. The absolute perfect start to the year.
The trick – Confidence, controlled aggression and changing gears.
I started with 2000 chips and I was up to 6000 chips by the first break. I managed to double up in level 3 when my pocket Aces turned into quads and I got called all the way down to the river by 2nd pair. Thank you!
I took my big risk after 2 hours, I had 9k in chips and pocket queens for the 3rd time. (I had previously folded them twice, once to reraises (KK and AQ) and once when AK hit the flop)
We had a limper under the gun, who I knew was going to reraise, I put him on AK as soon as he did it. He pushed all in as soon as I raised with my Queens, which convinced me it was AK, my queens held up and I was just short of 20k and into the top ten.
I had two more coin flips before the final table, none of them tournament threatening (around half my stack). I lost one and won one.
At the final table it was all very close and I was sitting in 8th with 35k, there was no runaway leader and two short stacks (16-19k). I arrived on the big blind, but my disappointment was short lived when QQ arrived also and knocked out one of the short stacks. I actually ended up knocking out 7 of the final table!
My chip count fluctuated a little, I called an all in button raise from the other short stack with A7 and lost to J5, but then doubled up with KK versus 66 against the guy who eventually finished 2nd.
It was a tight scrappy final table, with everyone so closely stacked in chips. The game itself was getting on for 5 hours. The last 6 however was under 10 mins!
I limped in the Small Blind with AJ hoping the BB to raise, he duly obliged with T8 and was out 5th when my Ace hit the flop. From this point I just built a stack and used it effectively, raising at any sign of weakness.
The heads up saw me in front with a big lead 360k to 130k and it lasted just three hands. I took the first two with raises. I was then dealt 67 clubs. He just called from the small blind, I am more than happy to see what the flop is. Tc Kh 8c. A Great Flop! Flush and inside straight draws. 13 outs if he has anything. I checked and was happy to check raise, but he also checked. The turn was a 9h. I have my straight, okay it’s the dumb end, but I am certain he would have raised with QJ preflop.
I check for the third time, surely inviting a bet. He bets 8k into the 18k pot, I raise to 24k, he is immediately all in. I have the straight, nine outs to a flush if somehow he does have QJ, but I cant see it. He most probably has two pair T8, T9 or 98. A king he surely would have raised preflop, unless he is slowplaying a monster.
I call and he has KK, he was dealt and flopped a monster and was slowplaying. The river was a deuce and the title was mine. To be honest after the flop came down, I was never getting away from this hand and only a big raise preflop would have got rid of me here.
So a fantastic start to the year, by the time I make it to bed at 2.30am, I have just won £3,400 and yet I am getting up for work in less than five hours. Why oh Why! It’s definitely time to sort my life out!
I will write again soon!
ClintonO
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Not Ignoring my Blog
I have to apologise for the lack of blogging taking place but I really am trying to do write as often as possible
I have been attempting for 2 days to scan in my article from page 12 of the WPT magazine (now that is a claim to fame - the article not the fact I can't scan), but for some reason, my scanner will only talk to me in German on my new computer. Whilst I have basic German knowledge, I still cant get it working! So you will just have to wait. Soon I promise! (Please let me get it to work)
On the poker front, I am in major creativity mode at the moment and am currently looking at forming a poker team with my good friend Andy Reynolds (007apr). I hope to have this up and running in the new year and I am very excited about it. More details to follow as soon as I get the green light. I have been learning Paint Shop Pro and reading how to build websites! (Getting in the way of the poker)
The acutal playing side, it is a case of mr nearly man. I have made the money in 3 consecutive nights in the £8k (until tonight!) as well as the money in the £40k on Sunday, so slow but steady progress.
I have got big plans for the blog in the near future, so please do not turn off now!
I will also be running a team in the new Bad Beat competition, Dream Team II and after winning the last one, a win is the only option!
My team is the perfect mix of loose and tight and I feel that we are ready to take on all comers!
The Team
Clinton O
SUN_DESHI (The £12k master)
ThierryH (Autumn Windfall Champion)
HEFFERNAN (recent 7th place in the Asian Tour)
JPK (six pack superstar) - check out his link on my site
Strokeit (Major factor in the last Dream Team win)
FISHMAC (2nd in the £8k as I type this)
~Retard~ (1st in the £8k as I type this!)
This tournament starts in the new year.
I have also been building a 2007 poker calendar, so that I can work out which events to play live next year.
The introduction of the Grosvenor and Gala UK Poker Tours are fantastic news for the UK Poker Industry and I will definitely be paying them a visit.
At the moment I have pencilled in the Luton event in August in the UKPT (Grosvenor) and Nottingham in the GBPT (Gala) in May.
My number one aim for 2007 on the playing side is to cash in a major tournament. It is going happen, I will detail my full objectives towards the end of the month.
The EPT in Deauville, which I am so looking forward to, has been extended by a day, so more holidays are needed, work really does interfere with my hobby! LOL!
Right now where was that scanner.
I will be back soon!
ClintonO
I have been attempting for 2 days to scan in my article from page 12 of the WPT magazine (now that is a claim to fame - the article not the fact I can't scan), but for some reason, my scanner will only talk to me in German on my new computer. Whilst I have basic German knowledge, I still cant get it working! So you will just have to wait. Soon I promise! (Please let me get it to work)
On the poker front, I am in major creativity mode at the moment and am currently looking at forming a poker team with my good friend Andy Reynolds (007apr). I hope to have this up and running in the new year and I am very excited about it. More details to follow as soon as I get the green light. I have been learning Paint Shop Pro and reading how to build websites! (Getting in the way of the poker)
The acutal playing side, it is a case of mr nearly man. I have made the money in 3 consecutive nights in the £8k (until tonight!) as well as the money in the £40k on Sunday, so slow but steady progress.
I have got big plans for the blog in the near future, so please do not turn off now!
I will also be running a team in the new Bad Beat competition, Dream Team II and after winning the last one, a win is the only option!
My team is the perfect mix of loose and tight and I feel that we are ready to take on all comers!
The Team
Clinton O
SUN_DESHI (The £12k master)
ThierryH (Autumn Windfall Champion)
HEFFERNAN (recent 7th place in the Asian Tour)
JPK (six pack superstar) - check out his link on my site
Strokeit (Major factor in the last Dream Team win)
FISHMAC (2nd in the £8k as I type this)
~Retard~ (1st in the £8k as I type this!)
This tournament starts in the new year.
I have also been building a 2007 poker calendar, so that I can work out which events to play live next year.
The introduction of the Grosvenor and Gala UK Poker Tours are fantastic news for the UK Poker Industry and I will definitely be paying them a visit.
At the moment I have pencilled in the Luton event in August in the UKPT (Grosvenor) and Nottingham in the GBPT (Gala) in May.
My number one aim for 2007 on the playing side is to cash in a major tournament. It is going happen, I will detail my full objectives towards the end of the month.
The EPT in Deauville, which I am so looking forward to, has been extended by a day, so more holidays are needed, work really does interfere with my hobby! LOL!
Right now where was that scanner.
I will be back soon!
ClintonO
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Back online
Apologies for the lack of posts since my return from St.Kitts.
I had a great time, but still came away dissapointed that I have not cashed in a major live event.
Since my return, I have played a little online, making a final table in the $4k and £8k as well as winning one of the BadBeat Poker in Goa tournaments.
I am doing a lot of thinking this month about how I make the most out of this game that I so enjoy. I have a few plans up my sleeve as I consider my future and how much time I should devote to this game.
In the meantime my Littlewoods Poker Table has changed. Image attached.
We have also seen some good news on the Cryptologic software, with William Hill signing a new contract and Dusk till Dawn Poker joining.
I will be back soon!
ClintonO
Friday, December 01, 2006
Caribbean Poker Classic Day 7
I thought I would try one more live game in the $300 No limit.
After spending the first 5 levels moving between 2k and 4k in chips (starting stack 3k), I decide to make my move.
The aggressive player under the gun raises again and I move all in with my pocket eights.
He thinks for a while and says I cant believe I am going to call this and does, with 62 hearts.
I was not thinking, wow a fantastic double up, but how I am going to lose to this!
The board comes down AKJ, with 1 heart. The turn is a second heart, the river a third heart. I am out to a flush!
Forget anything anyone has said about online badbeats, live is by far the worst!
I have decided to call it a day for live events on this trip, I have been totally card dead all week and when my chips have gone in, 3 out of 4 I have lost with the better hand, the other one I was behind and stayed that way.
The live game is so different to the online version, with egos and images taking over on the table.
There is much more bluffing and rebluffing live, I would have loved to have some cards as I could have got a lot of chips.
I do need to adjust my game, especially when I dont get any cards at all.
I have spent a long time on my online game and now I really need to develop my live style, there are no fundamentals wrong, but I definitely need more experience to improve my confidence.
I am going to work out a programme of events and goals for the 2007 over the next month. I have a definite ability at this game, but I am questioning myself so much after this weeks events.
I have the EPT in Deauville in February as my most immediate target. Two months of stretching my game ahead.
Online - the crypto software has completely changed! So another review ahead!
ClintonO
After spending the first 5 levels moving between 2k and 4k in chips (starting stack 3k), I decide to make my move.
The aggressive player under the gun raises again and I move all in with my pocket eights.
He thinks for a while and says I cant believe I am going to call this and does, with 62 hearts.
I was not thinking, wow a fantastic double up, but how I am going to lose to this!
The board comes down AKJ, with 1 heart. The turn is a second heart, the river a third heart. I am out to a flush!
Forget anything anyone has said about online badbeats, live is by far the worst!
I have decided to call it a day for live events on this trip, I have been totally card dead all week and when my chips have gone in, 3 out of 4 I have lost with the better hand, the other one I was behind and stayed that way.
The live game is so different to the online version, with egos and images taking over on the table.
There is much more bluffing and rebluffing live, I would have loved to have some cards as I could have got a lot of chips.
I do need to adjust my game, especially when I dont get any cards at all.
I have spent a long time on my online game and now I really need to develop my live style, there are no fundamentals wrong, but I definitely need more experience to improve my confidence.
I am going to work out a programme of events and goals for the 2007 over the next month. I have a definite ability at this game, but I am questioning myself so much after this weeks events.
I have the EPT in Deauville in February as my most immediate target. Two months of stretching my game ahead.
Online - the crypto software has completely changed! So another review ahead!
ClintonO
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Caribbean Poker Classic Day 6
The main event!
The day started with a Television interview with the comedian Norman Pace, before settling down the big event.
Level 1
I get pocked 8s and Js in the first five hands, after playing for four hours last night with not a single pair.
My 8s are beat, but my Jacks are good.
I play a very loose open game in level 1 and end up with 17000 from my initial stack of 15000.
Level 2
Pocket Kings! Not seen these all week!
One limper, one raise to 650. I decide to call. Flop Q97 all diamonds. I bet out 900 and get immediately called. I do have the K diamonds, turn is a an Ace. Check - Check. He is scared of the ace also, is my read. River is a J. Lots of problems now. He bets 1000 and I call. He also has Kings!
I end the level 16500.
Level 3.
Totally card dead, I tried some moves with pocket threes and 78 suited and nothing happens.
14500
Level 4.
I call a couple of raises, perhaps normally I would have reraised, I am finding myself calling more than I would normally do. Yes there are more chips in play, but I am playing too weak.
After a raise to a 1000 and a call, I move in with 5000 with QT. They both fold. Thats better.
I get Ace Jack, but after a raise I have to bail out as there is too much action. Chips now 13200
Level 5
I lose 2000 chips with AQ to AK and then get moved and another 1000 when my JT suited does not hit.
My first two hands at my new table I decide to change my stance, and raise with QJ and QT and win uncontested. I am now set for my some calls when my good cards arrive.
11000
Level 6.
I am starting to struggle, I am at a very aggressive table and am getting nothing. I try to defend my blinds with 88 and 55 and get beat by KK and AT.
I go to the dinner break with just 8000
Level 7
The blinds are coming round thick and fast, some cards please!
I raise with 77 and A7 to keep my stack at between 7 or 8, I am just fighting for every chip.
8700
Level 8.
The furthest I have got in a major event, and there are only 80 people remaining.
I am so card dead, I reraise all in with TJ and he does not call.
I have witnessed one guy get AA,KK and QQ - 11 times (yes eleven) in the last two levels.
On average I have seen an Ace once a level!
The end is upon me, in the last hand before the final break of the day, I raise with 99, my best hand in four hours and the chip leader the man with all the cards calls.
He had just beaten a guy who held 28 on a 7228 board, when his 66 gains another 6 on the river!
The flop for me comes 723 and I have no choice but to commit my chips, he turns over Queens - yes again! I am out of my seat, as I know Queens are the end. A further 2 and a 3 do not help me and the Caribbean Poker Classic is over for me.
I have KK once in 8 hours and JJ once, aside from AQ I have not seen a hand.
This was an interesting learning experience with a starting stack of 15000, which I have never played with before.
I am dissapointed as I believe I could have played better. I called too many hands, when raise or fold were the real options. I tried to make sure I was active to not appear too tight.
I still need a lot of work on my live game and have two months to get it sorted before the EPT event in Deauville.
I still feel I am due a whole heap of luck in a live event somewhere down the line, but right now there is more work to be done!
Thanks to everyone for all your support and I am sorry that I could not bring home the title I so wanted. Maybe 2007 will be one for me.
ClintonO!
The day started with a Television interview with the comedian Norman Pace, before settling down the big event.
Level 1
I get pocked 8s and Js in the first five hands, after playing for four hours last night with not a single pair.
My 8s are beat, but my Jacks are good.
I play a very loose open game in level 1 and end up with 17000 from my initial stack of 15000.
Level 2
Pocket Kings! Not seen these all week!
One limper, one raise to 650. I decide to call. Flop Q97 all diamonds. I bet out 900 and get immediately called. I do have the K diamonds, turn is a an Ace. Check - Check. He is scared of the ace also, is my read. River is a J. Lots of problems now. He bets 1000 and I call. He also has Kings!
I end the level 16500.
Level 3.
Totally card dead, I tried some moves with pocket threes and 78 suited and nothing happens.
14500
Level 4.
I call a couple of raises, perhaps normally I would have reraised, I am finding myself calling more than I would normally do. Yes there are more chips in play, but I am playing too weak.
After a raise to a 1000 and a call, I move in with 5000 with QT. They both fold. Thats better.
I get Ace Jack, but after a raise I have to bail out as there is too much action. Chips now 13200
Level 5
I lose 2000 chips with AQ to AK and then get moved and another 1000 when my JT suited does not hit.
My first two hands at my new table I decide to change my stance, and raise with QJ and QT and win uncontested. I am now set for my some calls when my good cards arrive.
11000
Level 6.
I am starting to struggle, I am at a very aggressive table and am getting nothing. I try to defend my blinds with 88 and 55 and get beat by KK and AT.
I go to the dinner break with just 8000
Level 7
The blinds are coming round thick and fast, some cards please!
I raise with 77 and A7 to keep my stack at between 7 or 8, I am just fighting for every chip.
8700
Level 8.
The furthest I have got in a major event, and there are only 80 people remaining.
I am so card dead, I reraise all in with TJ and he does not call.
I have witnessed one guy get AA,KK and QQ - 11 times (yes eleven) in the last two levels.
On average I have seen an Ace once a level!
The end is upon me, in the last hand before the final break of the day, I raise with 99, my best hand in four hours and the chip leader the man with all the cards calls.
He had just beaten a guy who held 28 on a 7228 board, when his 66 gains another 6 on the river!
The flop for me comes 723 and I have no choice but to commit my chips, he turns over Queens - yes again! I am out of my seat, as I know Queens are the end. A further 2 and a 3 do not help me and the Caribbean Poker Classic is over for me.
I have KK once in 8 hours and JJ once, aside from AQ I have not seen a hand.
This was an interesting learning experience with a starting stack of 15000, which I have never played with before.
I am dissapointed as I believe I could have played better. I called too many hands, when raise or fold were the real options. I tried to make sure I was active to not appear too tight.
I still need a lot of work on my live game and have two months to get it sorted before the EPT event in Deauville.
I still feel I am due a whole heap of luck in a live event somewhere down the line, but right now there is more work to be done!
Thanks to everyone for all your support and I am sorry that I could not bring home the title I so wanted. Maybe 2007 will be one for me.
ClintonO!
Caribbean Poker Classic Day 5
The $500 no limit proved to be another dissapointing affair.
With only 24 players left, I moved all in with AK and was called by AQ, the inevitable happened and a Q hit.
I still cant get this elusive Cash in a major tournament, heres hoping for the main event tommorrow.
ClintonO
With only 24 players left, I moved all in with AK and was called by AQ, the inevitable happened and a Q hit.
I still cant get this elusive Cash in a major tournament, heres hoping for the main event tommorrow.
ClintonO
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Caribbean Poker Classic Day 4
A quiet day today, sitting around the pool, was the order of the day.
I played one STT and finished 3rd after a lost coin flip and having my A6 called my the mighty A3.
Rachaels career earnings continues on the up with another cash finish and $300 more!
Congrats again to Tony Cascarino who won the $1000 game last night and the first prize of $28k.
A very impressive run of results.
The time has now come for me to prove myself as a poker player!
I am playing in the $500 game tonight, where a cash finish is the only acceptable outcome!
ClintonO
I played one STT and finished 3rd after a lost coin flip and having my A6 called my the mighty A3.
Rachaels career earnings continues on the up with another cash finish and $300 more!
Congrats again to Tony Cascarino who won the $1000 game last night and the first prize of $28k.
A very impressive run of results.
The time has now come for me to prove myself as a poker player!
I am playing in the $500 game tonight, where a cash finish is the only acceptable outcome!
ClintonO
Monday, November 27, 2006
Caribbean Poker Classic Day 3
My first MTT of the week, ended in an early exit.
The last hand of level 3, I picked up AK diamonds on the Big Blind. One limper, an oversized raise from a Danish guy, (2nd the night before in $200 NL) who had raised at least half the pots in the first hour and a half.
I moved all in and he instantly called for all his chips with 55.
Flop was QdJd6h, giving me more outs than I could count, the turn was another Jack, giving me even more outs in Queens and Sixes, but I still continue my quest for a coin flip win in a live MTT event.
I had a pleasant afternoon though, sitting at the bar with the great Crypto players including ThierryH, 007apr and Oranges.
Congratulations to Littlewoods sponsored player Tony Cascarino who came 2nd in this $300 no limit event.
Once again I have to congratulate the best poker player in the family, who from two $100 STTs manage to come 2nd in one and win the next, making a nice $700 in the process. I am hoping to borrow some of this to enter the $500 NL on Day 5!
A rest day for me today, I don't fancy the $1000 this afternoon, a little too rich for me!
I have the UK Betting beach party to go to, so that should keep me busy.
I am going to send my wife Rachael to win us some more money!
Oh yes she knocked me out again for the 2nd day running, when only 3 players left!
ClintonO
The last hand of level 3, I picked up AK diamonds on the Big Blind. One limper, an oversized raise from a Danish guy, (2nd the night before in $200 NL) who had raised at least half the pots in the first hour and a half.
I moved all in and he instantly called for all his chips with 55.
Flop was QdJd6h, giving me more outs than I could count, the turn was another Jack, giving me even more outs in Queens and Sixes, but I still continue my quest for a coin flip win in a live MTT event.
I had a pleasant afternoon though, sitting at the bar with the great Crypto players including ThierryH, 007apr and Oranges.
Congratulations to Littlewoods sponsored player Tony Cascarino who came 2nd in this $300 no limit event.
Once again I have to congratulate the best poker player in the family, who from two $100 STTs manage to come 2nd in one and win the next, making a nice $700 in the process. I am hoping to borrow some of this to enter the $500 NL on Day 5!
A rest day for me today, I don't fancy the $1000 this afternoon, a little too rich for me!
I have the UK Betting beach party to go to, so that should keep me busy.
I am going to send my wife Rachael to win us some more money!
Oh yes she knocked me out again for the 2nd day running, when only 3 players left!
ClintonO
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Caribbean Poker Classic Day2
Day 2 - The Boat Trip.
The Littlewoods trip was a journey on a gorgeous boat, a bit of snorkelling, a bbq on the beach and all in all a great time.
One game of poker with the legend Tony Chessa and skalie of bad beat fame, unfortunately my Jacks ran into kings and it was game over, but not before I took down a legendary pot with a complete bluff!
I also got my new Littlewoods merchandise, I will get a photo on the site shortly, but a Littlewoods football top, with ClintonO on the back and number 7 (my number!). Im Liking it.
I promise to play poker tomorrow and will be entering the $300 at 2pm my time.
I did have a sit and go warm up tonight, only to be knocked out by my beautiful wife, it just shows there are no friends on the poker table!
ClintonO
The Littlewoods trip was a journey on a gorgeous boat, a bit of snorkelling, a bbq on the beach and all in all a great time.
One game of poker with the legend Tony Chessa and skalie of bad beat fame, unfortunately my Jacks ran into kings and it was game over, but not before I took down a legendary pot with a complete bluff!
I also got my new Littlewoods merchandise, I will get a photo on the site shortly, but a Littlewoods football top, with ClintonO on the back and number 7 (my number!). Im Liking it.
I promise to play poker tomorrow and will be entering the $300 at 2pm my time.
I did have a sit and go warm up tonight, only to be knocked out by my beautiful wife, it just shows there are no friends on the poker table!
ClintonO
Caribbean Poker Classic Day1
Day 1
Not much to report as delays at Gatwick and Antigua, meant that it was a twenty hour day.
It was nice to meet up with some of the guys, I finally met the legend that is 007apr.
The highlight of the day was on the plane and the guy next to me was reading an article written by me! Very weird feeling!
There was also a number of people mentioning that they would like to meet ClintonO! I obviously kept it quiet! Fame at last though.
ClintonO
Not much to report as delays at Gatwick and Antigua, meant that it was a twenty hour day.
It was nice to meet up with some of the guys, I finally met the legend that is 007apr.
The highlight of the day was on the plane and the guy next to me was reading an article written by me! Very weird feeling!
There was also a number of people mentioning that they would like to meet ClintonO! I obviously kept it quiet! Fame at last though.
ClintonO
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
STTS - The answer?
As you are all aware I have been struggling with my Single Table Tournaments.
My best results in STTS have been in £10 or £50+ games.
My MTTs results are far superior, due to the length of time that you have to play the game.
Today, they have increased the starting stacks in STTS from 1000 to 1200 on tables of £30 plus and from 1000 to 1500 on £50 plus. This I was hoping was the answer to my prayers.
Two games tonight at the £50 level. Two wins! WAHOO! Its far too early for anything conclusive, but so far I like it!
I have to say hello to MUFF2WIN who wanted a mention on my blog, I said only if he beat me heads up! Well I am very generous, so even though you lost (he he!), you get your mention!
I would also like to say thanks to Aztec for posting earlier. It is always interesting to see how other people get on. Especially when they have different strengths or skills to me. If I can help in anyway with your MTT record please let me know.
I am not planning to over do it in the next couple of days, so that I can hit the caribbean fresh!
ClintonO
My best results in STTS have been in £10 or £50+ games.
My MTTs results are far superior, due to the length of time that you have to play the game.
Today, they have increased the starting stacks in STTS from 1000 to 1200 on tables of £30 plus and from 1000 to 1500 on £50 plus. This I was hoping was the answer to my prayers.
Two games tonight at the £50 level. Two wins! WAHOO! Its far too early for anything conclusive, but so far I like it!
I have to say hello to MUFF2WIN who wanted a mention on my blog, I said only if he beat me heads up! Well I am very generous, so even though you lost (he he!), you get your mention!
I would also like to say thanks to Aztec for posting earlier. It is always interesting to see how other people get on. Especially when they have different strengths or skills to me. If I can help in anyway with your MTT record please let me know.
I am not planning to over do it in the next couple of days, so that I can hit the caribbean fresh!
ClintonO
Monday, November 20, 2006
A game of Luck
I had an interesting comment on the blog today from Liam.
Is poker more about luck than skill?
This very question is something that is at the very heart of the whole issue regarding the playing of online poker in the US. So this question is being debated all over the world.
For me it totally depends on the situation.
If you have committed all your chips with 77 and your opponent has AK. You have almost exactly a 50/50 chance of winning.
At that precise moment you will either win or lose - a probablity of 100% or 0%. (Okay there is a slight possibility you could have a split pot, but the odds are huge!) Versus what is as we have said a 50/50 chance.
For that one hand you are either very lucky 100% result vs 50% probability or very unlucky 0% result.
However over time this and given enough situations this will balance itself out.
The skill in this game though is about putting yourself in situations whereby the probablity of winning is great versus the risk involved. I do not look to put myself in 50/50 situations. I may often give my opponent the choice if he wants to go 50/50 with me, but I want my chips in first.
You also only have to look at why the worlds top players are just that, because they are consistenly successful. Liam makes reference to Dan Harrington, well he achieved two successive World Series of Poker Final Tables, that for me proves that this game is based on skill.
Characteristics for a being a Great Poker player.
Discipline - Knowing when to walk away. Managing your bankroll.
Patience - Waiting for the right opportunities, where you have the right odds.
Confidence - Believe in your abilities. Courage/Conviction
Ability to learn - If you not still learning, you are falling behind
Strategy - Changing gears, how to play hands/levels/players/tournaments
Numerical Ability - Know your odds
People Reading - who you can bluff, who will call you all day.
Realism - You can't win everytime, if your not prepared to lose, your not prepared to win.
Luck - Well it helps! Pocket Aces may be between 80&90% to win preflop! Not 100%.
Luck plays its part in my opinion, but there is no way I would be playing this game if I did not think I had an edge and my records to date are proof to that very fact.
Cheers
ClintonO
ps 14th in the Sunday £40k last night, my best ever performance. My 7s were busted by AK. Now thats just bad luck! LOL!
Is poker more about luck than skill?
This very question is something that is at the very heart of the whole issue regarding the playing of online poker in the US. So this question is being debated all over the world.
For me it totally depends on the situation.
If you have committed all your chips with 77 and your opponent has AK. You have almost exactly a 50/50 chance of winning.
At that precise moment you will either win or lose - a probablity of 100% or 0%. (Okay there is a slight possibility you could have a split pot, but the odds are huge!) Versus what is as we have said a 50/50 chance.
For that one hand you are either very lucky 100% result vs 50% probability or very unlucky 0% result.
However over time this and given enough situations this will balance itself out.
The skill in this game though is about putting yourself in situations whereby the probablity of winning is great versus the risk involved. I do not look to put myself in 50/50 situations. I may often give my opponent the choice if he wants to go 50/50 with me, but I want my chips in first.
You also only have to look at why the worlds top players are just that, because they are consistenly successful. Liam makes reference to Dan Harrington, well he achieved two successive World Series of Poker Final Tables, that for me proves that this game is based on skill.
Characteristics for a being a Great Poker player.
Discipline - Knowing when to walk away. Managing your bankroll.
Patience - Waiting for the right opportunities, where you have the right odds.
Confidence - Believe in your abilities. Courage/Conviction
Ability to learn - If you not still learning, you are falling behind
Strategy - Changing gears, how to play hands/levels/players/tournaments
Numerical Ability - Know your odds
People Reading - who you can bluff, who will call you all day.
Realism - You can't win everytime, if your not prepared to lose, your not prepared to win.
Luck - Well it helps! Pocket Aces may be between 80&90% to win preflop! Not 100%.
Luck plays its part in my opinion, but there is no way I would be playing this game if I did not think I had an edge and my records to date are proof to that very fact.
Cheers
ClintonO
ps 14th in the Sunday £40k last night, my best ever performance. My 7s were busted by AK. Now thats just bad luck! LOL!
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Warming up for the Caribbean
With just a week to go until the Caribbean Poker Classic I am pleased to say I am still in form.
Whilst my STT game continues to need work, my MTT game is still going strong.
Last night I won the $3k added and the first prize of $4k+.
I now find myself in 38th in the Leaderboard and wishing I had the time to play more than 33% of the games!
The $3k added was a real rollercoaster ride, losing 3 big preflop hands when I had bigger pairs and getting lucky once, when a 9 on the turn helped me take out 2 players when I was getting short.
To the reach the final table, I needed my Tens to beat Ace Jack, which I am pleased to say they did and also AK to beat T6, which again went as scripted.
I entered the final table 4th in chips with 47k. The ranges were 15k to 89k. With nine of us still left. At this point the finishing places matter when it comes to prize money. $280 for 9th to $4k+ for first.
When we got down to six I thought it was all over. Dealt that beautiful sight of AA in the small blind, with 42k in chips. The button moves all in with 30k. I have to beat JQ, to put myself in a really strong situation.
Flop is 8Q6, turn 3, river another Q! SICK!
Chips counts are now, 66k,83k,64k,67k, 61k and me on 12k. Ouch.
Its any two cards from me now on in. (Q9 x2, A5 x2, AQ, A6, 55, 99) are all used to raise, reraise etc and I fight my way to 60k without a showdown.
A major bluff goes wrong on we are down to 5. puppet35 now has 160k and amazingly I am in 2nd with 51k. The others have 46k,48k and 49k.
The player I respected the most on the final table, 007apr then went to work. Doubling up through puppet, knocking out Laur3000 in 5th, puppet35 in 4th and Ric_ard in 3rd.
I was very happy to be in the final two after, the beat with the Aces.
The chip count was 007apr 305,441.50 versus myself at 48,558.50. An absolutely huge task, but nothing to lose.
40 hands later it was all over, I had won!
Just the sort of performance to give me a confidence boost ahead of the big tournament coming up shortly!
ClintonO
Whilst my STT game continues to need work, my MTT game is still going strong.
Last night I won the $3k added and the first prize of $4k+.
I now find myself in 38th in the Leaderboard and wishing I had the time to play more than 33% of the games!
The $3k added was a real rollercoaster ride, losing 3 big preflop hands when I had bigger pairs and getting lucky once, when a 9 on the turn helped me take out 2 players when I was getting short.
To the reach the final table, I needed my Tens to beat Ace Jack, which I am pleased to say they did and also AK to beat T6, which again went as scripted.
I entered the final table 4th in chips with 47k. The ranges were 15k to 89k. With nine of us still left. At this point the finishing places matter when it comes to prize money. $280 for 9th to $4k+ for first.
When we got down to six I thought it was all over. Dealt that beautiful sight of AA in the small blind, with 42k in chips. The button moves all in with 30k. I have to beat JQ, to put myself in a really strong situation.
Flop is 8Q6, turn 3, river another Q! SICK!
Chips counts are now, 66k,83k,64k,67k, 61k and me on 12k. Ouch.
Its any two cards from me now on in. (Q9 x2, A5 x2, AQ, A6, 55, 99) are all used to raise, reraise etc and I fight my way to 60k without a showdown.
A major bluff goes wrong on we are down to 5. puppet35 now has 160k and amazingly I am in 2nd with 51k. The others have 46k,48k and 49k.
The player I respected the most on the final table, 007apr then went to work. Doubling up through puppet, knocking out Laur3000 in 5th, puppet35 in 4th and Ric_ard in 3rd.
I was very happy to be in the final two after, the beat with the Aces.
The chip count was 007apr 305,441.50 versus myself at 48,558.50. An absolutely huge task, but nothing to lose.
40 hands later it was all over, I had won!
Just the sort of performance to give me a confidence boost ahead of the big tournament coming up shortly!
ClintonO
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
The Rest of Crypto
I will come back to the remainder of the cryptologic sites, but here are what they look like.!ClintonO
Around the Grounds - 3) William Hill
William Hill is another member of the Cryptologic software.
There is nothing much to add about them compared to the other sites, they appear to do less added tournaments than the other crypto sites, although do give a £25 month match bonus.
My account on here is Clint1307.
William Hill do have 3 sponsored professional players. 'Smokin' Steve Vladar, Julian 'Yoyo' Thew and 'Badgirl' Xuyen Pham.
The table is a nice blue and has improved since my last visit.
I am going to have a game shortly and see how I get on!
STOP PRESS! PLAYED 1 WON 1 - Maybe I will be back!
ClintonO
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Around the Grounds - 2) UK Betting
UK Betting is a member of the cryptologic network along with Littlewoods. They are linked to a number of sports and betting sites, including Sportinglife.com and totalbet.com.
THE TABLE
The table is very simliar in layout to Littlewoods, the only real difference is the colour. You do however get a massive logo in the middle of the table. It looks slightly more crowded with tables next to everyones seat, but ultimately it works fine.
WHO AM I?
I have a ClintonO account on here.
EXTRAS
UK Betting run a $2k gtd monthly tournament for all new players that month.
They have also started running Payday tournaments which is two tournaments each weekend, that are between £5 & £10 to enter and they are between £1k & £2k guaranteed.
The one on Sunday had 71 players and paid out 50 places!
BONUSES
UK Betting run special hand bonuses at certain times. eg get two red aces on a Saturday and win £20.
WEBSITE
Further information on UKBetting can be found at http://www.ukbettingpoker.co.uk/
CASHIER
UK Betting have their own cashier that works across their casino and sportsbook.
THE PROS
Simon 'Aces' Trumper used to be the sponsored player at UK Betting, but they parted company earlier this year. I am unaware at this time of anyone being sponsored.
OVERALL
Its a nice site and for me a decent place to play if anything ever went wrong with Littlewoods. Although I didn't win my STT I played tonight!
ClintonO
Monday, November 13, 2006
Around the Grounds - 1) Littlewoods Poker
Finally, as promised, we are going to go around the grounds to see just where we can play online poker these days. I have been far too busy for my own good over the last two weeks, that I have not played as much poker as I would like or even had time to update my blog. (I know, I apologise profusely! I also know that if I don’t deliver that Kai – ‘Menace’ will be kindly reminding me!)
I am going to start with my home site of Littlewoods Poker (no, not just because its easiest!), but this is where I spend 99.9% of my online Poker time.
Littlewoods are part of the cryptologic network, which houses some of the following big household names. William Hill, Inter Poker, Sun Poker, UK Betting, Classic Poker and Poker Plex.
It is currently undergoing a couple of changes, we have said goodbye to Ritz Club online, who have changed owners and moved to the playtech software and also Betfair, who have moved to their Poker Champs software.
Initially this has seen a decline in numbers on the site, as the Betfair players have been checking out the new site, however there has been a considerable recovery in the last week.
DTDPoker (Dusktilldawn) and Betsafe (Scandavian site) will be joining the ranks shortly and the future looks to be quite healthy. This however must be put into context, with the current consolidation in the poker industry; there are no guarantees (e.g. Ladbrokes & 888.com, Playtech and Tribeca).
THE TABLE
For me the table is the best of the cryptologic tables. It looks very professional and distinctive with its dark purple colour. They have made good improvements over time and it has a nice feel to it.
THE LOBBY
Easy to use and understand, no complaints here.
WHO AM I?
When I play here, you will always find me playing as ClintonO. Although the top earner in live events in my household, can occasionally be found playing as LittleJ.
GAME AVAILABILITY
All the basic games are found here with Holdem, Omaha and stud all available. You can also find the rather unique game of Holdem Blackjack here. I vow to one day improve my skills at the other disciplines of poker, but for the moment, I have a long way to go with No Limit Holdem.
TOURNAMENTS
Its been all change recently on the tournaments front as the site has moved away from guaranteed tournaments, in favour of added value. The main weekly tournament remains. The £40k guaranteed on Sundays at 8pm. This tournament has varied between £35k & £50k over the last year. I have yet to finaltable in this tournament and this remains one of outstanding targets. It is a £120 entry fee, but can be entered via qualifiers.
The main daily tournament is the $4k added, which is currently generating a prize pool of around $27k. The entry fee for this tournament is $109. The site runs plenty of other tournaments, $2k, $3k and $4k added, as well as guarantees from £500 to £4k.
Every two weeks the site runs a $25k or a $50k added tournament for loyal players. This can be
generating 500 MPPs (My Player Points). For STT/MTT players this can be achieved by playing $1666 worth of tournaments over a two week time frame, as this includes any finals that you may have qualified for, achieving this is not too difficult for an average poker player. Any missing points can be made up in the cash games realtively easily.
Other tournament formats include, Winner Takes All or and Double Shootouts.
LIVE TOURNAMENTS
Currently Littlewoods are running qualifiers for any European Poker Tour (EPT) season 3 event excluding Monte Carlo. I have qualified for the EPT French Open in February 2007 via this tournament.
They also have been running qualifiers for the Caribbean Poker Classic in St.Kitts, which I have also won a seat for. (11 DAYS TO GO!)
The Caribbean qualifiers finished last night, however the EPT qualifiers remain. There are two weekly finals. The E440 on a Saturday and the E132 on a Sunday. There is 1 seat guaranteed in each and money over E6600 is paid out.
The CPC is in its 3rd year and I will be detailing my progress on my blog whilst I am there.
The EPT is a welcome addition to the Littlewoods schedule. Although I am hoping they start the WSOP qualifiers earlier this year.
SINGLE TABLE TOURNAMENTS
These are available in six seater, six seater thunders and and ten seater formats. These have 12, 6 and 10 hands per level respectively.
I have had a constant battle with my STT stats and have finally put myself into positive territory (albeit small profit).
I do believe that if I treated this properly I could do very well, but I need to stop using them as fillers.
The format is that you start with 1000 chips and blinds start at 7/15.
EXTRAS
Currently the site has been offering players the chance to qualify for the CPC via their MPP's. Also there is currently a roomwide leaderboard tournament in progress.
I have simply not had the time to play in these events with work & other commitments. However I still find myself in the top 150 players, which is needed to secure a prize (albeit $100 at the moment). Maybe I will try and have a surge this week at gaining points.
I am very happy to say that two of my interviewed players are leading the way in the leaderboard tournament with a week to go.
Mihay - ThierryH is in the lead
Pete - Oranges is in 2nd place.
Both of these guys I will be meeting up with in the Caribbean.
Littlewoods also runs freerolls for certain events from time to time.
Finally Littlewoods have a link with aworldofpoker.com, who run tournaments with them on regular occasions.
BONUSES
Littlewoods give all players a £50 match bonus for joining, as well as £25 every month for generating a certain amount of rake.
There is also rakeback available to players who generate a certain amount of rake each month.
If you leave me a note, I can sort up to 30% Rakeback for you. Alternatively join Littlewoods via my link opposite.
There is also a Bad Beat Jackpot, which can be won during cash games.
WHATS MISSING
Search Facility/Locating Players
Observer Chat
Screen Sizing
CASHIER
The cashier used is through Ecash, it is quick and effective. For those who use the casino, you only need the one account.
WEBSITE
For further details logon onto to the website address in the links section.
THE PROS
Littlewoods are currently represented by the Legend Tony Chessa and the top footballer and reigning CPC Celebrity/Pro Champion Ton y Cascarino.
OVERALL
The site to play on-line poker! However I am going to try to cover a site per day, for a while! (I will try!)
The other crypto sites to follow shortly.
ClintonO
Monday, October 30, 2006
Caribbean Crazy!
This week my aim is to do a feature on the different sites that are available for all of us to play this wonderful game of poker. However, I keep getting distracted!
These wonderful Caribbean Poker Classic double shootouts are the reason!
For the third successive week, I have won myself a seat! Saturday night I added another $11.3k to the bank.
I have to pinch myself as to what has been achieved in this month of October.
3 x Caribbean Poker Classic seats (2 cashed in for $22.6k)
1 x European Poker Tour Seat for Deauville.
1 x Asian Poker Tour Seat (not attending due to work commitments) - The best of luck to all my team mates who are going.
November is a key month, as I try to cash in a major event for the first time. I am really on top of my game, I just hope I can keep it going through November and have a big performance in St.Kitts.
Right onto the review of the sites!
ClintonO
These wonderful Caribbean Poker Classic double shootouts are the reason!
For the third successive week, I have won myself a seat! Saturday night I added another $11.3k to the bank.
I have to pinch myself as to what has been achieved in this month of October.
3 x Caribbean Poker Classic seats (2 cashed in for $22.6k)
1 x European Poker Tour Seat for Deauville.
1 x Asian Poker Tour Seat (not attending due to work commitments) - The best of luck to all my team mates who are going.
November is a key month, as I try to cash in a major event for the first time. I am really on top of my game, I just hope I can keep it going through November and have a big performance in St.Kitts.
Right onto the review of the sites!
ClintonO
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
CPC - The Final 3
I apologise for the delay in finishing this off - its been one hell of a week.
Right 3 players left - Blinds are 800/1600 - antes 200. Tjifen 73k, medicin 61k & I have 5k.
Hand 149 - (Qh6s) In the small blind - medicin folds and I have to push all in, thankfully Tjifen folds
Hand 150 - (AA) At the time I think - why couldn't I get this while I had a chance! I get Tjifen to go all in with KT and the rockets hold - I am now up to 16k.
Now that I have a few chips, its time to go up a few gears and play some power poker.
In the next 25 hands, I raise, reraise, call & then bet out, whatever I can do to accumulate chips.
By Hand 175, I have moved to 41k without a single showdown. Tjifen has 75k and medicin 24k.
Here we become heads up, Tjifen moves all in with 88, medicin calls with QJ and the snowmen hold.
Its heads up - ClintonO 40k vs Tjifen 100k
Heres the hand by hand state of play. (Blinds are up to 1200/2400 for the duration)
176 - Tj folds - 41-99
177 - (5s3d) I fold 40-100
178 - Tj rasies, (Qs2d), I fold 37-103
179 - (Key Hand). I have (AdJd) a relative monster heads up and decide to call and hope for a raise. The raise comes to 9600 - 4 x BB. This was a bigger preflop raise than normal, which suggests to me he is not holding a premium pair, as I only called. He has a hand but wants me to go away now. I am not going to get much better than this, I am a long way behind, so I am all in.
He thinks and then calls with A9. A Jack on the flop decides the issues quickly. I am now in front! 74-66
180 - Tj raises, (9c4c,) I call. Flop Kc7s3s. He bets I fold. 69-71
181 - (A7), I raise, Tj Folds. 71-69
182 - Tj Folds. 73-67
183 - (8s5h) - I fold. 71-69
184 - Tj raises, I call (Kd Jh) Flop 8c6d4s. He bets I fold. 66-74
185 - (33) I raise, Tj folds. 69-71
186 - Tj raises, (6s,9d) I fold. 66-74
187 - (Qc7c) - I call Tj checks. Flop Kc9c6s. I have the flush draw
Tj bets the flop, I call. Turn (5h) Tj bets, again I call. River 5s. I miss my flush and am left with Queen high. I am certain he has hit par of the flop, as he usually bets when he does and the fact that he has bet twice convinces me of that. He does not have a King, as he would have raised, but he probably has a 9 or a 6. A bet on the river and I am done. He bets, I fold. 59 - 81.
188 - Tj folds. 60-80
189 - (QT) I call. He checks. Flop 7T7. I bet he folds. 63-77
190 - (Key Hand 2) - I am dealt (Qd7d) the same hand that cost me two hands ago.
He puts in the minimum raise and I call. Flop 9d8s7s.
I check the flop, he does likewise. He either missed the flop or has JT. Turn (Qc) I hit 2 pair.
I check and he bets - he may have hit a queen, or if he has JT he has decided not to give me another card. I have to reraise to find out where I am. I do and he calls. This call tells me he does not have the straight, he does not have his hand yet. If he has a made straight then he does not want to risk me getting lucky and should put me all in. His call tells me I am in front.
River (4c) that helps no-one. I decide to bet big, I did this early in the game and he went into tilt mode as he thought I had bluffed him. I bet the pot and he folds. He commented in the chat box (nb) (nice bet), which I believe told me he had something maybe the queen or even AK, but he is doubtful as to me having a winning hand. I have put him in tilt mode! 78-62
The final hand
191 - (QQ) I and dealt my new favourite hand, my old nemesis - the ladies! If I have put him in tilt mode, then with any half decent hand, he will raise and I can move over the top. I call and he checks. He does not have a good hand.
Flop Kc4d2h. He bets 2.4k. He certainly does not have the King, he does not have the pair and there is no obvious flush draw. He has hit a bit of the flop, or might just be trying to take it off me. I call
Turn Kd. He bets 4.8k. I know he does not have a King, he may have a flush draw, but I would have expected a bigger bet, but he might have. I believe at this point he has a 4 or a 2, but more likley he has a four. He has bet twice now, he does not put me on a King or a pair. I call hoping to take more money on the river.
River 2c. All draws have gone. He bets 7.2k. What does this mean. Any King or 2 and I am beat. I have already ruled out a King. If he has a 2, would he have bet and not tried a check raise. I am probably likely to bet if he checks as that to me would suggest he has given up on the pot, plus I have already called two bets. He may have missed everything and is just seeing if I have missed also.
I believe that at this point, his chances of having a 4 is 70%, nothing - 20%, that winning two - 10%. I am 90% certain I am in front, I decide I am going to overbet again and then if he has the 4, there is a chance he may call as he thinks I am bluffing again.
I move all in. Here you may ask, why I risked all bar 16k of my chips, when surely he wont call with anything other than a 2. That is a valid point. I have though twice put in overbets that he has folded to. In both previous situations the next hand following a big overbet, he has been all in, once betting all in, the other calling an all in. Both times he was behind when the money went in and ending up winning.
He may also call me if he thinks I am bluffing, but as I dont put him on much, this is unlikely. What I really want here is for him to think I am bluffing, but he cant call me as he has nothing and go further into tilt mode.
He does call and I suddenly think my 10% chance I estimated, whereas badly wrong. He turns over 45. He did have the 4 and put me on a pure bluff.
I am off to St.Kitts for the 2nd consecutive year. The ladies are have come good again!
Two seats in a night - What a night.
I got this text message from the main man at Littlewoods after my EPT win - The legendary Bruce Martin.
'Well done for EPT final. Get yourself a cpc seat and that would be a fantastic night'.
I followed his orders and what a fantastic night!
ClintonO
Right 3 players left - Blinds are 800/1600 - antes 200. Tjifen 73k, medicin 61k & I have 5k.
Hand 149 - (Qh6s) In the small blind - medicin folds and I have to push all in, thankfully Tjifen folds
Hand 150 - (AA) At the time I think - why couldn't I get this while I had a chance! I get Tjifen to go all in with KT and the rockets hold - I am now up to 16k.
Now that I have a few chips, its time to go up a few gears and play some power poker.
In the next 25 hands, I raise, reraise, call & then bet out, whatever I can do to accumulate chips.
By Hand 175, I have moved to 41k without a single showdown. Tjifen has 75k and medicin 24k.
Here we become heads up, Tjifen moves all in with 88, medicin calls with QJ and the snowmen hold.
Its heads up - ClintonO 40k vs Tjifen 100k
Heres the hand by hand state of play. (Blinds are up to 1200/2400 for the duration)
176 - Tj folds - 41-99
177 - (5s3d) I fold 40-100
178 - Tj rasies, (Qs2d), I fold 37-103
179 - (Key Hand). I have (AdJd) a relative monster heads up and decide to call and hope for a raise. The raise comes to 9600 - 4 x BB. This was a bigger preflop raise than normal, which suggests to me he is not holding a premium pair, as I only called. He has a hand but wants me to go away now. I am not going to get much better than this, I am a long way behind, so I am all in.
He thinks and then calls with A9. A Jack on the flop decides the issues quickly. I am now in front! 74-66
180 - Tj raises, (9c4c,) I call. Flop Kc7s3s. He bets I fold. 69-71
181 - (A7), I raise, Tj Folds. 71-69
182 - Tj Folds. 73-67
183 - (8s5h) - I fold. 71-69
184 - Tj raises, I call (Kd Jh) Flop 8c6d4s. He bets I fold. 66-74
185 - (33) I raise, Tj folds. 69-71
186 - Tj raises, (6s,9d) I fold. 66-74
187 - (Qc7c) - I call Tj checks. Flop Kc9c6s. I have the flush draw
Tj bets the flop, I call. Turn (5h) Tj bets, again I call. River 5s. I miss my flush and am left with Queen high. I am certain he has hit par of the flop, as he usually bets when he does and the fact that he has bet twice convinces me of that. He does not have a King, as he would have raised, but he probably has a 9 or a 6. A bet on the river and I am done. He bets, I fold. 59 - 81.
188 - Tj folds. 60-80
189 - (QT) I call. He checks. Flop 7T7. I bet he folds. 63-77
190 - (Key Hand 2) - I am dealt (Qd7d) the same hand that cost me two hands ago.
He puts in the minimum raise and I call. Flop 9d8s7s.
I check the flop, he does likewise. He either missed the flop or has JT. Turn (Qc) I hit 2 pair.
I check and he bets - he may have hit a queen, or if he has JT he has decided not to give me another card. I have to reraise to find out where I am. I do and he calls. This call tells me he does not have the straight, he does not have his hand yet. If he has a made straight then he does not want to risk me getting lucky and should put me all in. His call tells me I am in front.
River (4c) that helps no-one. I decide to bet big, I did this early in the game and he went into tilt mode as he thought I had bluffed him. I bet the pot and he folds. He commented in the chat box (nb) (nice bet), which I believe told me he had something maybe the queen or even AK, but he is doubtful as to me having a winning hand. I have put him in tilt mode! 78-62
The final hand
191 - (QQ) I and dealt my new favourite hand, my old nemesis - the ladies! If I have put him in tilt mode, then with any half decent hand, he will raise and I can move over the top. I call and he checks. He does not have a good hand.
Flop Kc4d2h. He bets 2.4k. He certainly does not have the King, he does not have the pair and there is no obvious flush draw. He has hit a bit of the flop, or might just be trying to take it off me. I call
Turn Kd. He bets 4.8k. I know he does not have a King, he may have a flush draw, but I would have expected a bigger bet, but he might have. I believe at this point he has a 4 or a 2, but more likley he has a four. He has bet twice now, he does not put me on a King or a pair. I call hoping to take more money on the river.
River 2c. All draws have gone. He bets 7.2k. What does this mean. Any King or 2 and I am beat. I have already ruled out a King. If he has a 2, would he have bet and not tried a check raise. I am probably likely to bet if he checks as that to me would suggest he has given up on the pot, plus I have already called two bets. He may have missed everything and is just seeing if I have missed also.
I believe that at this point, his chances of having a 4 is 70%, nothing - 20%, that winning two - 10%. I am 90% certain I am in front, I decide I am going to overbet again and then if he has the 4, there is a chance he may call as he thinks I am bluffing again.
I move all in. Here you may ask, why I risked all bar 16k of my chips, when surely he wont call with anything other than a 2. That is a valid point. I have though twice put in overbets that he has folded to. In both previous situations the next hand following a big overbet, he has been all in, once betting all in, the other calling an all in. Both times he was behind when the money went in and ending up winning.
He may also call me if he thinks I am bluffing, but as I dont put him on much, this is unlikely. What I really want here is for him to think I am bluffing, but he cant call me as he has nothing and go further into tilt mode.
He does call and I suddenly think my 10% chance I estimated, whereas badly wrong. He turns over 45. He did have the 4 and put me on a pure bluff.
I am off to St.Kitts for the 2nd consecutive year. The ladies are have come good again!
Two seats in a night - What a night.
I got this text message from the main man at Littlewoods after my EPT win - The legendary Bruce Martin.
'Well done for EPT final. Get yourself a cpc seat and that would be a fantastic night'.
I followed his orders and what a fantastic night!
ClintonO
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Stop Press - Sorry I meant 4
A few of you may remember me talking about the Dream Team competition on www.badbeat.com.
Well basically we have been playing for the last 20 weeks in online competitions, this was then followed by a live final this weekend. The chips you started with were based on your performance in the online games
Our team went to London on Saturday and duly won first prize!
The prizes 6 seats to the Betfair Asian Poker Classic in Singapore in November.
This poker lark has seriously taken off over the last week!
However in order to keep my job! I have decided to give this one a miss (It is also the week before the Caribbean Poker Classic) and let other members of the team go. I have to make do with another $3k prize money.
4 seats in a week. Simply unheard of!
CPC final 3 write up tomorrow I promise!
ClintonO
Well basically we have been playing for the last 20 weeks in online competitions, this was then followed by a live final this weekend. The chips you started with were based on your performance in the online games
Our team went to London on Saturday and duly won first prize!
The prizes 6 seats to the Betfair Asian Poker Classic in Singapore in November.
This poker lark has seriously taken off over the last week!
However in order to keep my job! I have decided to give this one a miss (It is also the week before the Caribbean Poker Classic) and let other members of the team go. I have to make do with another $3k prize money.
4 seats in a week. Simply unheard of!
CPC final 3 write up tomorrow I promise!
ClintonO
CPC stop press!
I promise I will continue my story of the cpc final tomorrow!
In the mean time, I just won another CPC seat!
Thats 3 major seats won in just one week!
This time it is no seat but $11k in cash!
Unbelievable, what a week!
ClintonO
In the mean time, I just won another CPC seat!
Thats 3 major seats won in just one week!
This time it is no seat but $11k in cash!
Unbelievable, what a week!
ClintonO
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Best Poker day ever - The CPC
In total direct contrast to the EPT, I crawled into the final table!
With just 11 left and very short stacked I had 2.7k and AT. Blinds at 150/300 and the next nearest player on 8k. The loose margar007 raises to 1800 and I decide that now is the time to move as we are only 6 handed. He has KJ and the first card out is an Ace.
Shortly after we reach the final table.
Seat 1: Vaginal (21k)
Seat 2: danielsan (7k)
Seat 3: Margar007 (12k)
Seat 4: Tjifen (26k)
Seat 5: Blueno005 (14k)
Seat 6: medicin (12k)
Seat 7: UTOPIA (9k)
Seat 8: Cresus2 (24k)
Seat 9: DaRigger (10k)
Seat 10: ClintonO (6k)
I am firmly in 10th place! Blinds are 150/300 antes 25 and we are 3 hours 15 mins in.
Hand 5, sees me with AQ and once again Margar007 is doing the raising, this time to 1500. Once again the all-in moved is applied. Margar calls with QT. The board pairs the queens and the aces and I am up to 11k and back in the game.
The game is fairly tight as this point and we reach hand 23. Blinds 200/400 antes 50. I am on 10k and look down in the big blind with AA!
Everyone folds and I am thinking typical no action. Then DaRigger in the small blind moves all in. He turns over AJ. The board brings a Jack, but nothing more - we are down to 9 and I have 17k and am up to 5th place.
It is hand 52 before we lose any more players, blinds are now 400/800.
Margar007 goes all in preflop for 7k and has two callers.
UTOPIA moves all in for 8k on a 738 flop and is called by medicin.
Margar has AJ, UTOPIA QQ and medicin AK. Turn is a 6 river K.
By hand 53 we have
medicin 49k
Tjifen 20k
Blueno005 17k
vaginal 17k
Cresus2 16k
ClintonO 11k
danielsan 10k.
I have played stole a few pots, but also folded AJ and 88 to big reraises.
Hand 60, I have AQ and raise to 2400. Tjifen moves all in and with 8k back I cant fold now. He turns over AT and the A7786 board doubles me up to 22k.
Hand 63 Tjifen takes out Danielsan in a race AK vs 77 and hits a straight. 6 remain
Hand 69 Cresus2 takes out Blueno005 with 77 against AT after both players hit a piece of the flop 27T.
Hand 88 blinds at 600/1200. medicin takes out vaginal with AJ vs QQ. We now have 4.
I am still playing catch up. Cresus2 (49k), medicin (43k), ClintonO(25k) and Tjifen (24k), but i now have a real shout.
Its all change by Hand 103. I have K8 in SB and call the bet. Tjifen checks. Flop 8AK. I check my two pair, Tjifen who is now chip leader bets 3600. I reraise to 8400 and he quickly moves all in for 51k. I have 13k left and I am certain I am in front so I call. He had K5 and I take the pot.
Incredibly I am now in 1st place with 46k! Others 45k, 30k, 19k.
Hand 119 Tjifen takes out Cresus 2 the money goes in on the turn. Board Q43T. He holds Q5 against A4.
By time we get to hand 146,Tjifen has been bullying away and is on a massive 79k, I have 35k and medicin 26k.
I see AK. medicin min raises to 3200 and I reraise to 8000. He then moves all in. I cant fold here, I am in front or its a race. I have to go for it. He turns over AA, my heart sinks.
The board brings a T and Jack, so a queen will save me, but no.
A couple of hands later I have just 5k. I move all in on button and Tjifen with 73k folds. I move to 7k, Tjifen 72k, medicin 61k. Can you believe that in 50 hands time I will have won my seat!
The story continues tomorrow!
ClintonO
With just 11 left and very short stacked I had 2.7k and AT. Blinds at 150/300 and the next nearest player on 8k. The loose margar007 raises to 1800 and I decide that now is the time to move as we are only 6 handed. He has KJ and the first card out is an Ace.
Shortly after we reach the final table.
Seat 1: Vaginal (21k)
Seat 2: danielsan (7k)
Seat 3: Margar007 (12k)
Seat 4: Tjifen (26k)
Seat 5: Blueno005 (14k)
Seat 6: medicin (12k)
Seat 7: UTOPIA (9k)
Seat 8: Cresus2 (24k)
Seat 9: DaRigger (10k)
Seat 10: ClintonO (6k)
I am firmly in 10th place! Blinds are 150/300 antes 25 and we are 3 hours 15 mins in.
Hand 5, sees me with AQ and once again Margar007 is doing the raising, this time to 1500. Once again the all-in moved is applied. Margar calls with QT. The board pairs the queens and the aces and I am up to 11k and back in the game.
The game is fairly tight as this point and we reach hand 23. Blinds 200/400 antes 50. I am on 10k and look down in the big blind with AA!
Everyone folds and I am thinking typical no action. Then DaRigger in the small blind moves all in. He turns over AJ. The board brings a Jack, but nothing more - we are down to 9 and I have 17k and am up to 5th place.
It is hand 52 before we lose any more players, blinds are now 400/800.
Margar007 goes all in preflop for 7k and has two callers.
UTOPIA moves all in for 8k on a 738 flop and is called by medicin.
Margar has AJ, UTOPIA QQ and medicin AK. Turn is a 6 river K.
By hand 53 we have
medicin 49k
Tjifen 20k
Blueno005 17k
vaginal 17k
Cresus2 16k
ClintonO 11k
danielsan 10k.
I have played stole a few pots, but also folded AJ and 88 to big reraises.
Hand 60, I have AQ and raise to 2400. Tjifen moves all in and with 8k back I cant fold now. He turns over AT and the A7786 board doubles me up to 22k.
Hand 63 Tjifen takes out Danielsan in a race AK vs 77 and hits a straight. 6 remain
Hand 69 Cresus2 takes out Blueno005 with 77 against AT after both players hit a piece of the flop 27T.
Hand 88 blinds at 600/1200. medicin takes out vaginal with AJ vs QQ. We now have 4.
I am still playing catch up. Cresus2 (49k), medicin (43k), ClintonO(25k) and Tjifen (24k), but i now have a real shout.
Its all change by Hand 103. I have K8 in SB and call the bet. Tjifen checks. Flop 8AK. I check my two pair, Tjifen who is now chip leader bets 3600. I reraise to 8400 and he quickly moves all in for 51k. I have 13k left and I am certain I am in front so I call. He had K5 and I take the pot.
Incredibly I am now in 1st place with 46k! Others 45k, 30k, 19k.
Hand 119 Tjifen takes out Cresus 2 the money goes in on the turn. Board Q43T. He holds Q5 against A4.
By time we get to hand 146,Tjifen has been bullying away and is on a massive 79k, I have 35k and medicin 26k.
I see AK. medicin min raises to 3200 and I reraise to 8000. He then moves all in. I cant fold here, I am in front or its a race. I have to go for it. He turns over AA, my heart sinks.
The board brings a T and Jack, so a queen will save me, but no.
A couple of hands later I have just 5k. I move all in on button and Tjifen with 73k folds. I move to 7k, Tjifen 72k, medicin 61k. Can you believe that in 50 hands time I will have won my seat!
The story continues tomorrow!
ClintonO
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Best Poker day ever - The EPT
Well it has finally sunk in. The Caribbean Poker Classic and the EPT French Open, both secured in one glorious Sunday night.
The amazing thing is that the two games were so entirely different. The EPT I led from fairly early right to the end, whilst the cpc, I scrapped onto the final table in last place, was well behind in the last three, in fact the first time I was in front was the hand before I won it.
I thought it might be interesting to take you through both finals and see how they were won.
EPT
We join the EPT Final with just six left. I started well in this tournament, moving slowly up from my 2500 chips to 3500 in the first level. I managed to double up when one guy got annoyed that I min raise him twice. The second time I had KK and he had 56off!
I started with a quality table including Kinghawko and ThierryH
Upon reaching the final table, I was in first or second postion and then took a nice jump when my AK beat AQ.
This is the final six
Seat 2) ClintonO 44k
Seat 4) Jeff2901 9k
Seat 5) ThierryH 19k
Seat 6) Bigadzc 19k
Seat 7) UTOPIA 16k
Seat 9) lmack85 6k
This was a great position to be in and I really did not one to blow it! I was playing fairly tight, but raising when in position.
12 hands later and we were down to 5. ThierryH takes out lmack85. I have moved up to 52k, thanks to a pair of cowboys.
Hand 30 from our starting point sees the blinds at 300/600. UTOPIA calls a 3xbb raise in the bb with J6 spades. With a flop of 3s As 9s, Christmas comes early and he manages to take Bigadzc for all his chips who was holding AQ. All the money going in on the flop.
5 hands later, we are down to 3, Thierry H takes out Jeff. I have managed to maintain my stack without getting too involved.
ClintonO 52k, ThierryH 32k, UTOPIA 29k. I know my opposition and they are top draw. Blinds are 400/800, so there is plenty of time to play. I am going to have to be at my best to win this one.
Hand 61 sees me move up to 67k, I call with 78 diamonds and get a 9 high flop, ThierryH the intial raiser overbets the pot, which usually means he has missed the flop. I have been very solid throughout and bet when I have the goods. I decide this is the time to make my move. I call his large raise. The turn brings a 5, if he checks, then I bet. He does and then folds.
By time we get to hand 83 since I started this review, I am sitting on 70k. Blinds are 600/1200, I turn over 66 in the big blind. Utopia with 13k left, min raises. I decide its an attempt at my blind and push my chips in. He calls incredibly with 89off. The flop brings a 9 giving him the pot. Did I need to be so aggressive, maybe not, but I am suprised at 89. I drop to 56k in chips, I must keep composure.
The next few hands I play KQ and A9 and end up throwing them away.
93 hands down, I have 39k, ThierryH 33k and UTOPIA 40k. My huge lead has gone, I must hold it together. To come this far and throw it away would be criminal.
Hand 95 is the one that effectively wins me the tournament.
I am in the BB with KK. UTOPIA min raises again and I call.
Flop 2d5c9d. He checks. I bet small 2400. He immediately reraises to 4800. A check raise, I am suspicious, but am not throwing my kings away at this point. I reraise to 12000. His move here is crucial. If he reraises all in, he probably has a set or Aces, as I look committed. He in fact calls.
The turn brings a 6d. The flush is a possibility. He bets 12k of his 15k. I have 27k left. I have the Kd as a small hope if he has the flush. What to do. His bet of 12k intrigues me, why leave 3k, does that mean anything, why not go all in. If I am calling 12k, I am calling 15k. This is crucial in my decision.
I have left myself a small amount behind before when I want to look very strong. Also I have bet twice on the flop, if has the flush why not check and let me bet as I am bound to do.
The final thing is last time he made a flush he bet the minimum, why bet 80% of his stack.
These 3 things lead me to believe I am in front and push in.
He turns over Ah 9s, so top pair with top kicker. He has 4 outs on the river, but that comes the 5d, making me a flush.
I have never thought so much about a pair of kings before. I could have shoved the chips in and had the same result!
The Heads up last 19 hands, out chip count had not much changed. Blinds are still 600/1200. I have TT in the big blind. He calls the big blind. I raise to 3600, he moves all in for 24480. Whats he got a big pair, he is surely calling here. He is happy to take the pot right there. Mid pair or Ace x. Thats good enough for me. He has A7. Great! He effectively has 3 outs.
8h 7h 2s. He has hit a 7. 5 outs now. Turn 4d, river 8h. Victory! I am off to the French Open in Deauville.
The CPC follows tomorrow.
ClintonO
The amazing thing is that the two games were so entirely different. The EPT I led from fairly early right to the end, whilst the cpc, I scrapped onto the final table in last place, was well behind in the last three, in fact the first time I was in front was the hand before I won it.
I thought it might be interesting to take you through both finals and see how they were won.
EPT
We join the EPT Final with just six left. I started well in this tournament, moving slowly up from my 2500 chips to 3500 in the first level. I managed to double up when one guy got annoyed that I min raise him twice. The second time I had KK and he had 56off!
I started with a quality table including Kinghawko and ThierryH
Upon reaching the final table, I was in first or second postion and then took a nice jump when my AK beat AQ.
This is the final six
Seat 2) ClintonO 44k
Seat 4) Jeff2901 9k
Seat 5) ThierryH 19k
Seat 6) Bigadzc 19k
Seat 7) UTOPIA 16k
Seat 9) lmack85 6k
This was a great position to be in and I really did not one to blow it! I was playing fairly tight, but raising when in position.
12 hands later and we were down to 5. ThierryH takes out lmack85. I have moved up to 52k, thanks to a pair of cowboys.
Hand 30 from our starting point sees the blinds at 300/600. UTOPIA calls a 3xbb raise in the bb with J6 spades. With a flop of 3s As 9s, Christmas comes early and he manages to take Bigadzc for all his chips who was holding AQ. All the money going in on the flop.
5 hands later, we are down to 3, Thierry H takes out Jeff. I have managed to maintain my stack without getting too involved.
ClintonO 52k, ThierryH 32k, UTOPIA 29k. I know my opposition and they are top draw. Blinds are 400/800, so there is plenty of time to play. I am going to have to be at my best to win this one.
Hand 61 sees me move up to 67k, I call with 78 diamonds and get a 9 high flop, ThierryH the intial raiser overbets the pot, which usually means he has missed the flop. I have been very solid throughout and bet when I have the goods. I decide this is the time to make my move. I call his large raise. The turn brings a 5, if he checks, then I bet. He does and then folds.
By time we get to hand 83 since I started this review, I am sitting on 70k. Blinds are 600/1200, I turn over 66 in the big blind. Utopia with 13k left, min raises. I decide its an attempt at my blind and push my chips in. He calls incredibly with 89off. The flop brings a 9 giving him the pot. Did I need to be so aggressive, maybe not, but I am suprised at 89. I drop to 56k in chips, I must keep composure.
The next few hands I play KQ and A9 and end up throwing them away.
93 hands down, I have 39k, ThierryH 33k and UTOPIA 40k. My huge lead has gone, I must hold it together. To come this far and throw it away would be criminal.
Hand 95 is the one that effectively wins me the tournament.
I am in the BB with KK. UTOPIA min raises again and I call.
Flop 2d5c9d. He checks. I bet small 2400. He immediately reraises to 4800. A check raise, I am suspicious, but am not throwing my kings away at this point. I reraise to 12000. His move here is crucial. If he reraises all in, he probably has a set or Aces, as I look committed. He in fact calls.
The turn brings a 6d. The flush is a possibility. He bets 12k of his 15k. I have 27k left. I have the Kd as a small hope if he has the flush. What to do. His bet of 12k intrigues me, why leave 3k, does that mean anything, why not go all in. If I am calling 12k, I am calling 15k. This is crucial in my decision.
I have left myself a small amount behind before when I want to look very strong. Also I have bet twice on the flop, if has the flush why not check and let me bet as I am bound to do.
The final thing is last time he made a flush he bet the minimum, why bet 80% of his stack.
These 3 things lead me to believe I am in front and push in.
He turns over Ah 9s, so top pair with top kicker. He has 4 outs on the river, but that comes the 5d, making me a flush.
I have never thought so much about a pair of kings before. I could have shoved the chips in and had the same result!
The Heads up last 19 hands, out chip count had not much changed. Blinds are still 600/1200. I have TT in the big blind. He calls the big blind. I raise to 3600, he moves all in for 24480. Whats he got a big pair, he is surely calling here. He is happy to take the pot right there. Mid pair or Ace x. Thats good enough for me. He has A7. Great! He effectively has 3 outs.
8h 7h 2s. He has hit a 7. 5 outs now. Turn 4d, river 8h. Victory! I am off to the French Open in Deauville.
The CPC follows tomorrow.
ClintonO
Monday, October 16, 2006
Whats your best day in Poker?
I think I have just had mine!
The last few weeks I have complained about Sundays, well not anymore.
Tonight, I played in the EPT Final and the CPC final. The results.
I won them both!
Yes thats right blogfans, its a win in both!
I am still shaking from it all!
The EPT was incredible, I managed to get a very big lead and then found myself one of 3 players left against UTOPIA and ThierryH, two of the most feared players on the network. I managed to blow the lead and then recover to take the title.
Whilst this was still going on, I was playing the CPC Final. This time when it was down to 3 players I was in 2nd and then ran into AA with AK, which left me crippled with 4k, I somehow turned this around to eventually overturn a 30k to 110K deficit to ultimately win with, yes you guessed it pocket queens!
I will fill you in on all the details tomorrow, but what a night
Tonights winnings
1 x EPT package includes: * The €5000 buy in to the event of your choice. * €600 to stay in one of the luxurious hotels.* €1,000 straight into your LittlewoodsPoker.com account to cover travel expenses - I am probably going to pick The Scandinavian Open which is held in Copenhagen, my other option is the French Open held in Deauville.
1 x CPC package includes:
a $11,300 Package with Littlewoods which includes:$6,300 entry into the main no-limit event $5,000 for an ALL-INCLUSIVE 9-night package at the prestigious St Kitts Marriott Resort on + airfare for two from London
Got to sleep now, cant take it all in!
ClintonO
The last few weeks I have complained about Sundays, well not anymore.
Tonight, I played in the EPT Final and the CPC final. The results.
I won them both!
Yes thats right blogfans, its a win in both!
I am still shaking from it all!
The EPT was incredible, I managed to get a very big lead and then found myself one of 3 players left against UTOPIA and ThierryH, two of the most feared players on the network. I managed to blow the lead and then recover to take the title.
Whilst this was still going on, I was playing the CPC Final. This time when it was down to 3 players I was in 2nd and then ran into AA with AK, which left me crippled with 4k, I somehow turned this around to eventually overturn a 30k to 110K deficit to ultimately win with, yes you guessed it pocket queens!
I will fill you in on all the details tomorrow, but what a night
Tonights winnings
1 x EPT package includes: * The €5000 buy in to the event of your choice. * €600 to stay in one of the luxurious hotels.* €1,000 straight into your LittlewoodsPoker.com account to cover travel expenses - I am probably going to pick The Scandinavian Open which is held in Copenhagen, my other option is the French Open held in Deauville.
1 x CPC package includes:
a $11,300 Package with Littlewoods which includes:$6,300 entry into the main no-limit event $5,000 for an ALL-INCLUSIVE 9-night package at the prestigious St Kitts Marriott Resort on + airfare for two from London
Got to sleep now, cant take it all in!
ClintonO
Thursday, October 12, 2006
QQ - The new lucky ladies! (part1)
So the last month has been a great one for the ladies!!!
My win percentage has dropped to 91%, 38 wins from 42, but have I maximised the amount of winnings.
According to the chips QQ has resulted in a 98944 profit (chips that is not pounds!)
So have I played them right.
Lets look at them!
This evening I am going to look at Early Position
Results Played 8 won 8.
Seat 1 - Limped x2
Seat 2 - Raised first in x3, raised initial limper, Reraised
Seat 3 - Reraised
I have raised 6 times and limped twice, so I have mixed up the bets.
Seat 1 Eg1 Level 2 of tournament Blinds 15/30
I have limped in both times from seat 1. Once it resulted in six callers and the second four callers. Potentially disastrous situations.
1) ClintonO call 30
2) folds
3) folds
4) johnts call 30
5) folds
6) Fonz23 call 30
7) hoeffi call 30
SB) Redeyeneo call 30
BB) leone1 check
Flop Th5c5h
SB) Check
BB) Check
1) ClintonO bet 90
4) johnts call 90
6) Fonz 23 Raise 270
7,SB,BB) folds
1) ClintonO Raise 1200
4) Folds
6) Fonz23 Calls 1020
ClintonO QsQh
Fonz Ts8d
Board Th5c5h3c3s
Analysis
On a T55 flop, I opened the betting with a half pot size bet to see where I am, seat 4 calls, cutoff raises x3. I am not worried about TT, as I would have expected a preflop raise, but I have definitely let in the posibility of someone having a 5 or a heart flush draw. The fact that the raise comes from the guy in the cutoff seat I believe he is less likely to have a 5. Once the blinds fold, I believe my QQ is good and am either up against a draw or top pair.
Seeing Fonz23 turn over Ts8d, I am very pleased and surprised he called his remaining 750 chips with top pair and weak kicker.
Johnnts who called my initial bet, may have had a flush draw but with two reraises, he was not going to stay in the pot.
All in all Limping from seat 1 is risky, but here the return was maximised.
Seat1 Eg2 -Level 3: Blinds 25/50
1) ClintonO calls 50
2-5) folds
6) Westee calls 50
7) Folds
8) NOLIMIT calls 50
SB) Folds
BB) Deeirun Check
Flop Tc2h3c pot 225
BB) Check
1) ClintonO bets 150
6) Westee calls 150
8,BB) Folds
Turn 3d
1) ClintonO bets 300
6) Westee raise to 600
1) ClintonO all in 1330
Westee Folds
Analysis
Four players in this one and a fairly harmless flop of T23 although it does bring a flush draw.
I bet 2/3rds the pot and get one caller, at this point he is either on a flush draw, top pair, or worst case scenario a set.
The turn brings a second 3, if he has quads - good luck to him, the only really scare is a full house with deuces in this pocket. I believe I am in front and bet again. He then puts in a min raise, this for me is an I don't believe you bet. I have 1030 left its time to push all in.
He has a call for 730 more in a pot already containing 1725 and clearly has nothing when he folds.
Could I have got more money, well I did not want to give him an opportunity to hit a flush on the river, so for me it was a good time to move.
Seat 2
Eg 1 - blinds 15/30 - Raise to 90, reraised all in by short stack 570 - call. QQ beats 88
Eg 2 - blinds 50/100 - Seat 1 raises to 400, I move all in for 2985, he calls with AKo. QQ hold up.
Eg 3- blinds 600/1200 with antes - Raise to 3600, meno moves all in for 6402. I call. QQ beats TT
Eg 4- blinds 100/200 - Seat 1 calls. I raise to 800. He calls. Flop 756 rainbow. He checks, I bet half pot and he folds
Eg 5 - blinds 150/300 with antes. I raise to 900, all fold.
So from the 5 examples, I have had only one instance where my raise was not called, giving a strong arguement for always raising QQ. One coin flip situation and two underpairs in all in situations, in the remaining example, I was probably up against A high.
Seat 3.
Eg 1 - blinds 10/20
1) Mike23079 raises to 40
3) Clinton O reraises to 160
4) PEPPS1 calls 160
6) jezmund calls 160
SB) dondawda all in 110
1) Mike calls.
Flop ThJs3h.
1) Mike23079 all in 250
3) ClintonO all in 1310
4) PEPPS1 all in 1300
dondawda 6c4c
Mike23079 qc3c
ClintonO QdQh
PEPPS1 AhKh
ThJs3h9cJc
Analysis
A crazy pot with the SB all in with nothing based on value. The UTG play was interesting, no need to play with Q3clubs, and bets out with just a match on the 3.
When I moved all in, there was a flush and straight draw so had to act now.
PEPPS1 made the correct call with two overcards, flush draw and straight draw.
All in all, I am happy with how I have played QQ from an early position. The question remaining is should I limp in from seats 1-3. I believe you have to vary your play and provided you are happy to fold them if an ace or King comes along, then it is a useful play to have in your locker.
I will continue to analysis with plays with the ladies tomorrow!
I am interested to see where I have lost and here is a quick summary
1) BB - All in preflop versus AKs
2) Late - Raised UTG limper. He calls and moves in on 933 flop. I call he turns over K6 and spikes a King on the river. Ouch!
3) Middle - Raise and button and SB calls. I bet on 578 flop and get raised - I call. Turn is K. I check and he bets 2/3rds pot. I fold
4) Middle - I reraise seat 3 - who calls. Flop 959. He check calls me, turn 6, he then check raises me and turns over KK.
Situation 1 - Fair enough - coin flip I lost
2 - bad move from Burns015 who had nothing when I was pretty much pot comitted - unlucky
3 & 4 - I definetly could have played better. I will look at these tommorrow.
I am finding this analysis very interesting! Hope it is remotely interesting for you also!
On the poker front -
Good - I won the EPT qualifier and am now in the final on Saturday.
Bad - Eliminated from the 15k near the money in the QQ versus K6 just above. (Please don't start being nasty to me again)
Until tomorrow!
ClintonO
My win percentage has dropped to 91%, 38 wins from 42, but have I maximised the amount of winnings.
According to the chips QQ has resulted in a 98944 profit (chips that is not pounds!)
So have I played them right.
Lets look at them!
This evening I am going to look at Early Position
Results Played 8 won 8.
Seat 1 - Limped x2
Seat 2 - Raised first in x3, raised initial limper, Reraised
Seat 3 - Reraised
I have raised 6 times and limped twice, so I have mixed up the bets.
Seat 1 Eg1 Level 2 of tournament Blinds 15/30
I have limped in both times from seat 1. Once it resulted in six callers and the second four callers. Potentially disastrous situations.
1) ClintonO call 30
2) folds
3) folds
4) johnts call 30
5) folds
6) Fonz23 call 30
7) hoeffi call 30
SB) Redeyeneo call 30
BB) leone1 check
Flop Th5c5h
SB) Check
BB) Check
1) ClintonO bet 90
4) johnts call 90
6) Fonz 23 Raise 270
7,SB,BB) folds
1) ClintonO Raise 1200
4) Folds
6) Fonz23 Calls 1020
ClintonO QsQh
Fonz Ts8d
Board Th5c5h3c3s
Analysis
On a T55 flop, I opened the betting with a half pot size bet to see where I am, seat 4 calls, cutoff raises x3. I am not worried about TT, as I would have expected a preflop raise, but I have definitely let in the posibility of someone having a 5 or a heart flush draw. The fact that the raise comes from the guy in the cutoff seat I believe he is less likely to have a 5. Once the blinds fold, I believe my QQ is good and am either up against a draw or top pair.
Seeing Fonz23 turn over Ts8d, I am very pleased and surprised he called his remaining 750 chips with top pair and weak kicker.
Johnnts who called my initial bet, may have had a flush draw but with two reraises, he was not going to stay in the pot.
All in all Limping from seat 1 is risky, but here the return was maximised.
Seat1 Eg2 -Level 3: Blinds 25/50
1) ClintonO calls 50
2-5) folds
6) Westee calls 50
7) Folds
8) NOLIMIT calls 50
SB) Folds
BB) Deeirun Check
Flop Tc2h3c pot 225
BB) Check
1) ClintonO bets 150
6) Westee calls 150
8,BB) Folds
Turn 3d
1) ClintonO bets 300
6) Westee raise to 600
1) ClintonO all in 1330
Westee Folds
Analysis
Four players in this one and a fairly harmless flop of T23 although it does bring a flush draw.
I bet 2/3rds the pot and get one caller, at this point he is either on a flush draw, top pair, or worst case scenario a set.
The turn brings a second 3, if he has quads - good luck to him, the only really scare is a full house with deuces in this pocket. I believe I am in front and bet again. He then puts in a min raise, this for me is an I don't believe you bet. I have 1030 left its time to push all in.
He has a call for 730 more in a pot already containing 1725 and clearly has nothing when he folds.
Could I have got more money, well I did not want to give him an opportunity to hit a flush on the river, so for me it was a good time to move.
Seat 2
Eg 1 - blinds 15/30 - Raise to 90, reraised all in by short stack 570 - call. QQ beats 88
Eg 2 - blinds 50/100 - Seat 1 raises to 400, I move all in for 2985, he calls with AKo. QQ hold up.
Eg 3- blinds 600/1200 with antes - Raise to 3600, meno moves all in for 6402. I call. QQ beats TT
Eg 4- blinds 100/200 - Seat 1 calls. I raise to 800. He calls. Flop 756 rainbow. He checks, I bet half pot and he folds
Eg 5 - blinds 150/300 with antes. I raise to 900, all fold.
So from the 5 examples, I have had only one instance where my raise was not called, giving a strong arguement for always raising QQ. One coin flip situation and two underpairs in all in situations, in the remaining example, I was probably up against A high.
Seat 3.
Eg 1 - blinds 10/20
1) Mike23079 raises to 40
3) Clinton O reraises to 160
4) PEPPS1 calls 160
6) jezmund calls 160
SB) dondawda all in 110
1) Mike calls.
Flop ThJs3h.
1) Mike23079 all in 250
3) ClintonO all in 1310
4) PEPPS1 all in 1300
dondawda 6c4c
Mike23079 qc3c
ClintonO QdQh
PEPPS1 AhKh
ThJs3h9cJc
Analysis
A crazy pot with the SB all in with nothing based on value. The UTG play was interesting, no need to play with Q3clubs, and bets out with just a match on the 3.
When I moved all in, there was a flush and straight draw so had to act now.
PEPPS1 made the correct call with two overcards, flush draw and straight draw.
All in all, I am happy with how I have played QQ from an early position. The question remaining is should I limp in from seats 1-3. I believe you have to vary your play and provided you are happy to fold them if an ace or King comes along, then it is a useful play to have in your locker.
I will continue to analysis with plays with the ladies tomorrow!
I am interested to see where I have lost and here is a quick summary
1) BB - All in preflop versus AKs
2) Late - Raised UTG limper. He calls and moves in on 933 flop. I call he turns over K6 and spikes a King on the river. Ouch!
3) Middle - Raise and button and SB calls. I bet on 578 flop and get raised - I call. Turn is K. I check and he bets 2/3rds pot. I fold
4) Middle - I reraise seat 3 - who calls. Flop 959. He check calls me, turn 6, he then check raises me and turns over KK.
Situation 1 - Fair enough - coin flip I lost
2 - bad move from Burns015 who had nothing when I was pretty much pot comitted - unlucky
3 & 4 - I definetly could have played better. I will look at these tommorrow.
I am finding this analysis very interesting! Hope it is remotely interesting for you also!
On the poker front -
Good - I won the EPT qualifier and am now in the final on Saturday.
Bad - Eliminated from the 15k near the money in the QQ versus K6 just above. (Please don't start being nasty to me again)
Until tomorrow!
ClintonO
Hand Analysis
The first of my features is going to be hand analysis, whereby I will look at my strongest hands and weakest hands.
First a quick mention of the defence of my $6k title. I made it to the final table again tonight, but two successive defeats with JJ took me out in 10th place. First against AK and then AA, despite hitting a 3rd Jack! A fair effort though I suggest!
This hand analysis is based on the last month or so and is based on win ratio.
1) QQ 93% - Would you belive it
2) AA 81%
3) AKs 76%
4) KK 71%
5) JJ 71% - probably lower after tonight!
6) TT 71%
7) AKo 71%
8) AQs 70%
9) AJs 70%
10) 99 68%
11) T7s 67%
No real surprises then, but incredibly my feared hand QQ is up at 93%. This though is fair too high for this hand, so I suggest I may well be playing it too aggressively. I have in fact won 39 times out of 42 with this hand. Losing once in the BB and twice from mid position.
I will go into more detail into each hand and try to find out where I am going right or wrong.
Of the big pairs I have had AA the least!
QQ 42
TT 42
KK 35
JJ 35
99 34
88 34
AA 13
Okay of those hands at the bottom!
1) T8s - 0%
2) 53s - 0%
3) J3s - 0%
4) T4s - 0%
5) 62s - 0%
6) 62o - 0%
7) 72o - 4%
8) t2o- 4%
9) 65o - 5%
10) q2o - 6%
The only real suprise is t8s - I have played this hand 9 times and never won with it! Sounds like a plan!
What about my win ratio from postions, when I choose to play
Middle 52% success rate
Early 50%
Late 46%
Short Handed situations 38%
BB 16%
SB 12%
As I said I will go into more detail with the hands, but there are some other interesting stats, when I play JTs I only get a 29% win rate and QJs just 21%.
The hand I play the most is Ace King off suit, 14 more times than any other cards.
I really hope this analysis can help discover some interesting stats!
But you have to wait for that for now!
ClintonO
First a quick mention of the defence of my $6k title. I made it to the final table again tonight, but two successive defeats with JJ took me out in 10th place. First against AK and then AA, despite hitting a 3rd Jack! A fair effort though I suggest!
This hand analysis is based on the last month or so and is based on win ratio.
1) QQ 93% - Would you belive it
2) AA 81%
3) AKs 76%
4) KK 71%
5) JJ 71% - probably lower after tonight!
6) TT 71%
7) AKo 71%
8) AQs 70%
9) AJs 70%
10) 99 68%
11) T7s 67%
No real surprises then, but incredibly my feared hand QQ is up at 93%. This though is fair too high for this hand, so I suggest I may well be playing it too aggressively. I have in fact won 39 times out of 42 with this hand. Losing once in the BB and twice from mid position.
I will go into more detail into each hand and try to find out where I am going right or wrong.
Of the big pairs I have had AA the least!
QQ 42
TT 42
KK 35
JJ 35
99 34
88 34
AA 13
Okay of those hands at the bottom!
1) T8s - 0%
2) 53s - 0%
3) J3s - 0%
4) T4s - 0%
5) 62s - 0%
6) 62o - 0%
7) 72o - 4%
8) t2o- 4%
9) 65o - 5%
10) q2o - 6%
The only real suprise is t8s - I have played this hand 9 times and never won with it! Sounds like a plan!
What about my win ratio from postions, when I choose to play
Middle 52% success rate
Early 50%
Late 46%
Short Handed situations 38%
BB 16%
SB 12%
As I said I will go into more detail with the hands, but there are some other interesting stats, when I play JTs I only get a 29% win rate and QJs just 21%.
The hand I play the most is Ace King off suit, 14 more times than any other cards.
I really hope this analysis can help discover some interesting stats!
But you have to wait for that for now!
ClintonO
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Time for a change
I have decided that my recent lack of posts have come about because I am getting bored about what I write about. There are too many self indulgent blogs about how unlucky someone was or another bad beat and I myself had fallen down that trap, to the point that I was boring myself.
So I have decided to have a few features towards the end of the year, amongst a track of how I am doing.
So these are what you can look forward to.
1) Hand Analysis - Top 5 hands & worst 5 hands. How many people know which hands they play better and which ones they play the worst. I will be going through my best and worst hands and work out how to improve this.
2) ClintonO on tour - I am also going to play a guest tournament across different sites and feedback on my view on the site, the tournaments and the players.
3) My STT peformance - Its simply not good enough, what am I doing wrong, what tactics can I adopt to improve this situation. I will cover Thunders, 6 seaters and 10 seaters in a quest to find a winning formula.
4) Review of things poker related - I have started reading a lot of magazines, books and websites, so I will review these and let you know what I think is good or bad value.
5) Poker Updates - No bad beat stories (well maybe just a couple!), just my learnings, what I have done wrong - more emphasis on how I can improve and help others do the same. Also why are Tuesdays and Fridays the days I win on.
My aim is to update each of these features once a week. Please keep giving your feedback on these and help me improve them.
One poker news related point though is that I won another major title last night.
I managed to win my second ever $6k (157 runner) tournament on Littlewoods yesterday (yes another Tuesday!), taking home the first prize of $2340. All very handy!
The heads up lasted just a couple of hands. My opponent kindly went all in when I was holding Q8 on a Q86 board. The turn card was an 8, which secured the title.
I don't play this tournament much at all, no more than 20 times in all, but I did manage to win it back in April and was 2nd last month. Maybe I should be playing it more.
Anway heres to more interesting blog!
ClintonO
So I have decided to have a few features towards the end of the year, amongst a track of how I am doing.
So these are what you can look forward to.
1) Hand Analysis - Top 5 hands & worst 5 hands. How many people know which hands they play better and which ones they play the worst. I will be going through my best and worst hands and work out how to improve this.
2) ClintonO on tour - I am also going to play a guest tournament across different sites and feedback on my view on the site, the tournaments and the players.
3) My STT peformance - Its simply not good enough, what am I doing wrong, what tactics can I adopt to improve this situation. I will cover Thunders, 6 seaters and 10 seaters in a quest to find a winning formula.
4) Review of things poker related - I have started reading a lot of magazines, books and websites, so I will review these and let you know what I think is good or bad value.
5) Poker Updates - No bad beat stories (well maybe just a couple!), just my learnings, what I have done wrong - more emphasis on how I can improve and help others do the same. Also why are Tuesdays and Fridays the days I win on.
My aim is to update each of these features once a week. Please keep giving your feedback on these and help me improve them.
One poker news related point though is that I won another major title last night.
I managed to win my second ever $6k (157 runner) tournament on Littlewoods yesterday (yes another Tuesday!), taking home the first prize of $2340. All very handy!
The heads up lasted just a couple of hands. My opponent kindly went all in when I was holding Q8 on a Q86 board. The turn card was an 8, which secured the title.
I don't play this tournament much at all, no more than 20 times in all, but I did manage to win it back in April and was 2nd last month. Maybe I should be playing it more.
Anway heres to more interesting blog!
ClintonO
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Sundays are totally sick part XVI
5 big tournaments today and five disasters.
The £50k was going well. I had £7k in chips, I hold AQ hearts in the big blind. Blinds just 150/300, with 25 ante.
Brille raised from the cutoff to 900. I put him on a steal and put all my chips in and represent that I don't have as strong a hand. He thinks and calls incredibly with A5, for all his chips bar 300. This would put me on over 14k and right amongst the chip leaders. The river of course is a 5.
Please keep playing like that! I will get you!
The CPC Weekly Final, saw me make my 6th final table. But no, it was not 6th time lucky. I limped in with KK under the gun and got a call and then a raise. I went all in and Steve311 calls with TT, of course the board brings a Ten. Fair play by him, but my perfect plan loses again!
The CPC Double Shootout, I got to heads up with nuts, who admittedly played well and could well win the seat, but not without my AA losing to a flush on the river.
The EPT final, I try a move calling a raise with J3. The board is 6TJ, we have four players. Two checks then the intial raiser totally overbets the pot, I think I am in front, so I put him all in. He calls with AT, got it right, unfortunately he hits an ace on the river.
Finally the $50k added. I start really well, up to 8k in chips. I raise with AQ, following an under the gun limper, he calls.
Board is AQ3 he bets, I call. Turn 5 rainbow board, he bets, I reraise he is all in with 6.5k. I call leaving me with just 1.5k. If he has a set then fair enough, he turns over (bet you cant guess) 22. The river brings a 4 and he hits a straight.
I believe I played really well tonight, but from the five big tournaments I have absolutely nothing to show for it.
I had a 4th yesterday in the £2.5k guaranteed, when my AJ on an AJ68 board loses to an all in from the 2nd chips leader, I was in front, moves with KQ. Turn is T.
Luckily nothing has been lost, but come on, a little bit of luck would not go amiss!
ClintonO
The £50k was going well. I had £7k in chips, I hold AQ hearts in the big blind. Blinds just 150/300, with 25 ante.
Brille raised from the cutoff to 900. I put him on a steal and put all my chips in and represent that I don't have as strong a hand. He thinks and calls incredibly with A5, for all his chips bar 300. This would put me on over 14k and right amongst the chip leaders. The river of course is a 5.
Please keep playing like that! I will get you!
The CPC Weekly Final, saw me make my 6th final table. But no, it was not 6th time lucky. I limped in with KK under the gun and got a call and then a raise. I went all in and Steve311 calls with TT, of course the board brings a Ten. Fair play by him, but my perfect plan loses again!
The CPC Double Shootout, I got to heads up with nuts, who admittedly played well and could well win the seat, but not without my AA losing to a flush on the river.
The EPT final, I try a move calling a raise with J3. The board is 6TJ, we have four players. Two checks then the intial raiser totally overbets the pot, I think I am in front, so I put him all in. He calls with AT, got it right, unfortunately he hits an ace on the river.
Finally the $50k added. I start really well, up to 8k in chips. I raise with AQ, following an under the gun limper, he calls.
Board is AQ3 he bets, I call. Turn 5 rainbow board, he bets, I reraise he is all in with 6.5k. I call leaving me with just 1.5k. If he has a set then fair enough, he turns over (bet you cant guess) 22. The river brings a 4 and he hits a straight.
I believe I played really well tonight, but from the five big tournaments I have absolutely nothing to show for it.
I had a 4th yesterday in the £2.5k guaranteed, when my AJ on an AJ68 board loses to an all in from the 2nd chips leader, I was in front, moves with KQ. Turn is T.
Luckily nothing has been lost, but come on, a little bit of luck would not go amiss!
ClintonO
Saturday, September 30, 2006
6th time lucky?
The CPC was another dissapointment on Thursday night.
I won my first round very comfortably and probably too quickly as I had over an hour wait for the final table.
We were down to 5 after one hand AA beating AK on a flop including an A and a K.
We lost a fourth player after an hour, it was down to 4. One player was getting very aggressive, but also hitting lots of cards. I made a stand with KQ and got very lucky as I beat AQ.
That put me in second and right amongst it.
The short stack put his chips in and I called with AT, he had KT, but rivered a King.
We soon got down to three players. The short stack then went all in four consecutive hands and I decided to not let him do it anymore, by moving all in with A2 in the small blind, unfortunately he had A9 and doubled up.
My final hand I was in joint second place holding 32. The flop was 339 and I was already working out how to make the most of this hand and get me right back in it, he however was thinking the same because he held 3T. So out in 3rd.
Five final tables now, one 2nd, two 3rds and two 5th places. I can't get much closer without winning. Surely next time.
Today I have managed to get my seat in the £50k for Sunday and am going to address my STT record. I keep playing this thunder tournaments when I get bored, but they are really not for me. I need to concentrate on my ten seater STT's. My sharkscope stats are down over £1k at the moment, which is awful considering how good my MTT record is. I am going to address this by playing some ten seater STTs over the next week.
This weekend as usual promises a lot, two ept finals, one cpc final and two 50k (1 $,1£) and it is vital to make something from these. With four of the tournaments on Sunday, I am hoping for a Super Sunday!
Right lets sort out this sharkscope situation.
ClintonO
I won my first round very comfortably and probably too quickly as I had over an hour wait for the final table.
We were down to 5 after one hand AA beating AK on a flop including an A and a K.
We lost a fourth player after an hour, it was down to 4. One player was getting very aggressive, but also hitting lots of cards. I made a stand with KQ and got very lucky as I beat AQ.
That put me in second and right amongst it.
The short stack put his chips in and I called with AT, he had KT, but rivered a King.
We soon got down to three players. The short stack then went all in four consecutive hands and I decided to not let him do it anymore, by moving all in with A2 in the small blind, unfortunately he had A9 and doubled up.
My final hand I was in joint second place holding 32. The flop was 339 and I was already working out how to make the most of this hand and get me right back in it, he however was thinking the same because he held 3T. So out in 3rd.
Five final tables now, one 2nd, two 3rds and two 5th places. I can't get much closer without winning. Surely next time.
Today I have managed to get my seat in the £50k for Sunday and am going to address my STT record. I keep playing this thunder tournaments when I get bored, but they are really not for me. I need to concentrate on my ten seater STT's. My sharkscope stats are down over £1k at the moment, which is awful considering how good my MTT record is. I am going to address this by playing some ten seater STTs over the next week.
This weekend as usual promises a lot, two ept finals, one cpc final and two 50k (1 $,1£) and it is vital to make something from these. With four of the tournaments on Sunday, I am hoping for a Super Sunday!
Right lets sort out this sharkscope situation.
ClintonO
Thursday, September 28, 2006
AA has really gone downhill
A few more games under my belt last night, including a win in the other EPT qualifier.
I have now booked myself a seat in the final on Saturday and Sunday. Add to this the $50k added on Sunday, it could be quite a busy weekend! Especially if I can add a CPC final or two, along with the £50k!
I played the £15k for the first time in a while and I could not believe it when I went out!
I very rarely go out in the first hour, but I did last night.
I get dealt AA in position 5, I sit there hoping for a raise.
Under the Gun limps in for 50 chips, 2nd position raises to 200, 3rd position raises to 400.
I really could not have hoped for that much action, with 725 already in the pot, I put my 2000 chips in the pot.
The first two fold, but Aka_abak in third position calls my all in raise (leaves himself just 750 back, would have still had 2350 if he folded) with AJ off. Wow, christmas comes early.
The board though has other ideas. QT5 4 K. I am out to a straight. I am not going to complain, because without people like this, winning at this game would be a lot tougher. I do not know, how this was called, let alone how you reraise, a limp and a raise in first two position with AJ off.
I was expecting KK or QQ, even AA. Ah well, move on. I mean AJ off. Come on forget it! Honestly!
Tonight it is the CPC $370 double shootout, where I am going to secure my Caribbean Poker Classic seat!
ClintonO
I have now booked myself a seat in the final on Saturday and Sunday. Add to this the $50k added on Sunday, it could be quite a busy weekend! Especially if I can add a CPC final or two, along with the £50k!
I played the £15k for the first time in a while and I could not believe it when I went out!
I very rarely go out in the first hour, but I did last night.
I get dealt AA in position 5, I sit there hoping for a raise.
Under the Gun limps in for 50 chips, 2nd position raises to 200, 3rd position raises to 400.
I really could not have hoped for that much action, with 725 already in the pot, I put my 2000 chips in the pot.
The first two fold, but Aka_abak in third position calls my all in raise (leaves himself just 750 back, would have still had 2350 if he folded) with AJ off. Wow, christmas comes early.
The board though has other ideas. QT5 4 K. I am out to a straight. I am not going to complain, because without people like this, winning at this game would be a lot tougher. I do not know, how this was called, let alone how you reraise, a limp and a raise in first two position with AJ off.
I was expecting KK or QQ, even AA. Ah well, move on. I mean AJ off. Come on forget it! Honestly!
Tonight it is the CPC $370 double shootout, where I am going to secure my Caribbean Poker Classic seat!
ClintonO
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